Breaking the secrecy over its nuclear scientist who developed its first hydrogen bomb, China today honoured nuclear physicist Yu Min with a top award, 48 years after the event.
Chinese President Xi Jinping presented the award to Yu, 89, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, at a high-profile annual ceremony held to honour distinguished scientists and research achievements.
The award comes with a cash prize worth five-million-yuan (USD 805,200), 10 per cent of which is given to the awarded scientist, while the remaining amount, almost 4.5 million yuan, will be used for future scientific research under his guidance.
Yu, born in north China's Tianjin in 1926, was behind China's first successful hydrogen bomb test during the Cold War era, miniaturisation of nuclear weapons, technological breakthroughs in the neutron bomb, and filled the nation's void in the theory of atomic nucleus.
He was also the recipient of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" Achievement Medal, another top science award given by the Chinese government to those who have made great contributions to the country's first satellite project.
China's first hydrogen bomb was detonated on June 17, 1967.
The communist nation exploded its first atomic bomb on October 16, 1964 at the Lop Nur test site.
