Chinese Mathematicians Win Fields Medal in Historic First
Hong Wang and Yu Deng were honored for solving century-old problems, and Wang became only the third woman to receive the Fields Medal.
- Four mathematicians received Fields Medals on Thursday at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia: Chinese-born Hong Wang and Yu Deng, American John Pardon, and Canadian Jacob Tsimerman, whose names leaked prematurely after a website vulnerability.
- Often called mathematics' Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal is awarded every four years to researchers under 40; each recipient receives a 14-karat-gold medal depicting Archimedes and roughly $11,000 USD in prize money.
- Wang resolved the century-old Kakeya conjecture in three dimensions with Joshua Zahl in 2025, ending a 50-year search; Deng's axiomatizing physics work represents 'a leap forward in a centuries-long quest' to derive physical laws, while Pardon solved a major knot theory conjecture as a 21-year-old Princeton undergraduate.
- The dual Chinese victories represent a watershed moment: Wang is the first Chinese woman to win and only the third woman in 90 years after Mirzakhani and Viazovska ; IMU vice-president Ulrike Tillmann said women's contributions should become 'a normal thing' at the highest levels.
- Both medalists began at Beijing's Peking University but completed training in France, MIT, and Princeton, prompting Chinese social media debate about brain drain; Beijing launched a 'K-visa' in 2025 and QiMing project to recruit STEM talent despite ongoing concerns.
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Urgent: Chinese mathematicians Deng Yu, Wang Hong awarded Fields Medals
PHILADELPHIA, United States, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mathematicians Deng Yu and Wang Hong were awarded the Fields Medals at the opening ceremony of the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians held here on Thursday, marking the first time Chinese mathematicians have won the prestigious honor.
Two Chinese mathematicians win Fields Medals alongside US and Canadian laureates; honor marks landmark achievement for country’s mathematics community
Chinese young mathematicians Deng Yu and Wang Hong were awarded Fields Medals, becoming the first Chinese recipients of the prestigious honor, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. The achievement also marks the first time two Chinese mathematicians have won Fields Medals at the same International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) – a historic breakthrough for the country’s mathematical community, China News Service reported.
Hong Wang became only the third woman in history to receive this mathematics prize.
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