The International Congress of Mathematicians announced that Wang Hong and Deng Yu, who both entered the top Chinese university in 2007, were awarded the highest honour for mathematicians under 40 years of age.
It is the first time Chinese nationals have received the prestigious award.
Mathematician Cai Tianxin, a distinguished professor at Zhejiang University, said China’s research standards had caught up with the West and, with a more flexible academic environment, its young scientists were poised to achieve global recognition.
“Wang Hong and Deng Yu are both courageous in tackling and overcoming challenges.”
Cai cited leading Chinese scientists in the first half of the 20th century, including influential mathematicians Shiing-Shen Chern, Hsu Pao-lu and Wu Wenjun, as well as Nobel-winning physicists Chen-ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee.
