China thanks 100 people for helping the reform and opening-up

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The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) honored a list of 100 outstanding individuals who made distinguished contributions to the course of China's reform and opening-up during a conference held on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up.

The listed figures have been commended for their excellent achievements and major influences in various fields, including economics, science, culture, sports, and national security.

Alibaba's Executive Chairman Ma Yun (Front-L) and Tencent's Chief Executive Officer Ma Huateng (Front-R ) hold their certificates at an event marking the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, December 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

The list includes many scientists, recognizing their remarkable achievements not only for Chinese people but around the world. Among those is agronomist Yuan Longping, widely known as the "Father of Hybrid Rice" who developed the first hybrid rice in the 1970s, offering a robust food source in areas with high risks of famine in dozens of countries in Africa, America, and Asia.

Other advanced scientists include Yu Min, a nuclear physicist who led the research of China's second-generation nuclear weaponry; Chen Jingrun, a mathematician whose works on Goldbach's Conjecture and Legendre's Conjecture led to great progress in analytic number theory; Ye Cong, designer of China's deep-sea manned submersible; and pharmacologist Tu Youyou who received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering an effective treatment for malaria.

Nobel Medicine Prize 2015 co-winner Tu Youyou receives her medal from King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf during the 2015 Nobel Prize award ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall on December 10, 2015. /VCG Photo

Entrepreneurs on the list include Jack Ma Yun, co-founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, Ma Huateng, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Tencent, Li Yanhong, co-founder of the search engine Baidu, He Xiangjian, co-founder of Midea, and Liu Chuanzhi, founder of Lenovo.

Among the listed economists are two big names: Li Yining and Lin Yifu. The former person whose opinions greatly led to the establishment of China's stock markets in the early 1990s is credited with providing the theoretical basis for the market-oriented reform that greatly stimulated China's economic growth, and the latter also made major contributions to the economic reform and founded the China Center for Economic Research (now upgraded to the National School of Development).

Singer Li Guyi performs "Tonight is Unforgettable", one of her most famous songs, at a rehearsal of the 2011 CCTV Spring Festival Gala in Beijing, China, January 31, 2011. /VCG Photo

Several figures are cited for their excellent deeds and work in the cultural and sports arenas. Renowned singer Li Guyi was commended for her numerous famous works over the past 40 years such as "Homeland Love," the first pop song during the reform and opening-up, and "Tonight is Unforgettable," the conclusion piece in almost every year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala since its release.

Former NBA player Yao Ming attends the 2018 China Sports Industry Forum in Beijing, China, November 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

Also on the list was film director Xie Jin, considered one of the Third Generation directors of China, author Lu Yao, whose remarkable novel "Ordinary World" won the Mao Dun Literature Prize in 1991 and widely regarded as one of the most well-known literature pieces about the reform and opening-up, former basketball player Yao Ming, one of China's best-known athletes and president of the China Basketball Association, as well as China's first Olympic champion and shooter Xu Haifeng.

(Cover: A general view shows the celebration meeting marking the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 18, 2018. /VCG Photo)