For the first time, a Chinese woman has been awarded the world's most prestigious mathematics prize, the Fields Medal, bringing the total count of Chinese-born medalists to three, as two mathematicians from the country clinched medals this year.
Often referred to as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, Fields Medals are awarded every four years to between two and four mathematicians under 40, recognizing both achievement and potential.
This year marks only the third time a woman has ever won the coveted award in its 90-year history.
The recipients, whose medals were presented at the opening ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia on Thursday, included Chinese mathematicians Hong Wang and Yu Deng, American John Pardon and Canadian Jacob Tsimerman.
"All four mathematicians have made tremendous contributions to their respective fields," Ulrike Tillmann, vice-president and incoming president of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the institution responsible for organizing the awards, told NPR.
"It's also wonderful to see another woman winning the Medal. We should have the feeling that it has become a normal thing that women contribute to their fields at the highest level, including the Fields Medal," she added.
First time two Chinese scholars simultaneously won the prize
Originally from China's mountainous Guilin City, Hong Wang is the first Chinese woman to ever receive the medal. In a video released by the IMU she recalls solving her first math problem as a child. "I felt quite happy when I figured out the answer, I feel like I have a clearer understanding of the subject" she said.
Wang, who researches at both NYU and France's Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, shot to fame after resolving a century-old problem known as the Kakeya conjecture in three dimensions, together with University of British Columbia's Joshua Zahl.
"Solving this problem has opened the door for a host of theorems and conjectures in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, geometric measure theory and other fields," the IMU said in a statement.
Her victory, alongside Yu Deng, represents the first time two Chinese scholars have simultaneously won the prize.
Yau Shing-Tung was the first ethnic Chinese mathematician to win in 1982, while Australian-born Terence Tao won in 2006.
Originally from China's tech-hub Shenzhen, Deng's research on axiomatizing physics, establishing mathematical rules that could be used to explain branches of the science, drew praise from the IMU. His key paper was co-authored by the University of Michigan's Zaher Hani and Xiao Ma.
The University of Chicago researcher's work is "a leap forward in a centuries-long quest by mathematicians and physicists to derive the basic laws of physics from first principles," the organization said of Deng.
American mathematician John Pardon was cited by the IMU for his contributions in the fields of topology, and geometry, while Canada's Jacob Tsimerman, was praised for extending the scope of logical frameworks from abstract fields of mathematics into algebraic geometry.
On Chinese internet, the historic wins spark joy and reflection
This year's Fields Medalists were first revealed prematurely after a vulnerability on the International Congress of Mathematicians website allowed coders to uncover the four winners' names ahead of the official ceremony on Thursday.
On Chinese social media, the news was received by many with joy. "Two Chinese mathematicians!" said one Guangdong-based Chinese social media user. "And one is a Chinese woman!"
"This is what you call truly bringing honor to your country," said another from Henan province.
Although Wang and Deng began their higher education at Beijing's prestigious Peking University, one of China's top universities, their training and subsequent research was done in the United States and Europe.
After two years of studying in Beijing, Deng transferred to MIT before completing a PhD at Princeton University. Graduating from Peking University, Wang continued post-graduate study in France before finishing her mathematics PhD at MIT. Both researchers work outside of China.
For some on China's popular RedNote social media app, this year's award raises questions about how China's research capabilities stack up to the United States'.
"Why don't we reflect on why everyone leaves for the United States after completing their undergraduate degree in China?" said a user from Tianjin.
"Breaking up the monopoly of academic cliques is the direction Chinese higher education should take", said one RedNote user from Guangdong.
Despite criticisms of a brain drain from China to the U.S., the awards come at a time when several high-profile Chinese scholars have returned home, some citing an increasingly hostile academic environment in America.
In 2025, Beijing launched a special "K-visa", aimed at attracting foreign tech experts. A project called QiMing, run by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, also seeks to recruit foreign and overseas Chinese STEM talent.
In addition to the Fields Medal, the IMU also announced winners of other top honors, including Oxford University's Graeme Segal (Chern Medal) and the University of Washington's Shayan Oveis Gharan (Abacus Medal).
Along with massive international prestige, each Fields Medalist receives a gold medal depicting famed ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes and a cash prize of 15,000 Canadian dollars (roughly $11,000 USD).
But for Deng, the real driver isn't fame or prize money—it's raw curiosity.
"Our understanding of the physical universe on the mathematical level is still extremely small," he said in a video provided by the IMU.
"The thing that keeps me in this field is the happiness when your plan works perfectly, [and] you are able to solve the questions you are faced with."
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