Jin Yilian, a 74-year-old computer scientist from the Chinese Academy of Engineering won China's top science prize Friday.

At an award ceremony held in Beijing Friday, Chinese President Jiang Zemin presented Jin with the 5-million-yuan (US$604,500) State Preeminent Science and Technology Award for 2002.

The sum of the award equals to the value of the Nobel Prize in the 1980s. The winner himself receives 500,000 yuan (US$60,450). The remaining 4.5 million yuan (US$544,050) will be used for future scientific research under his guidance.

Jin Yilian is one of the pioneers in the development of high performance computers in China. Over the past five decades, he has made fundamental contributions to the development of large-scale, high performance computers of the country.

At the awards ceremony, 269 scientific research achievements received State Science and Technology Awards.

Three Hong Kong scientists won second prizes, one in the State Technological Invention Award and two in the State Natural Science Award.

Leading Chinese Chemist Receives Top Natural Science Award

The first prize in China's State Natural Science Award has finally found a suitable recipient after being unclaimed for four years.

Jiang Xikui, a leading Chinese scientist, won the prize for his outstanding achievement in the field of physical organic chemistry Friday.

Jiang, a renowned chemist from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has invented a series of new concepts and comprehensive and reliable parameters that "yield the fundamental meanings" to research into the phenomenon of life and some physical and pathological processes.

The State Natural Science Award is part of China's State Science and Technology Award scheme that was established in 1955.

The first prizes for the State Natural Science Award and the State Technological Invention Award have not been presented for four consecutive years since 1997 for lack of suitable candidates.

State Science and Technology Awards

China annually presents five state science and technology awards, namely the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the State Natural Science Award, the State Technological Invention Award, the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award and the International Scientific and Technological Award.

The 5-million-yuan State Preeminent Science and Technology Award was set up in 1999 and given to no more than two persons every year. So far, five Chinese scientists have won the award, including Jin Yilian, Wu Wenjun, Yuan Longping, Wang Xuan and Huang Kun.

Over the past 50 years, China has granted awards to some 20,000 significant scientific and technological programs. More than 60,000 people, including 18 foreigners, have gained state science and technology awards from 1979-1999.

(People's Daily March 1, 2003)