Huang Xuhua, nuclear scientist, born March 1926
Huang spearheaded the design of China's first-generation nuclear submarine. When Long March First, China's earliest nuclear submarine prototype, took its maiden voyage on Dec 26, 1970, Huang – who was 44 at the time – set a world record as the first chief engineer to be onboard a submarine for its test dive.
Tu Youyou, pharmacologist, born December 1930
Tu, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for the discovery of artemisinin, a group of drugs used to combat malaria, is the first Chinese woman to win the prize. She solved the problem of failing anti-malarial treatment and made important contributions to scientific and technological innovations in traditional Chinese medicine and human health.
