Superconductor researcher, 75, among the youngest recipients

Seventy-five-year-old physicist Zhao Zhongxian would use any word but young to describe himself.

But when he stepped on the stage with Tu Youyou to received his certificate - the Preeminent Science and Technology Award - from President Xi Jinping, he was among the youngest to win the prize.

Since it was established in 1999, the top prize has previously been awarded to 25 scientists, including those who developed China's first atomic and hydrogen bombs and satellites.