What Youyou Tu¡¯s Nobel prize victory means for Chinese science

All Nobel prizes are special, but this one particularly so. Youyou Tu, an expert in Chinese traditional medicine who developed a breakthrough treatment for malaria, today became 바카라사이트 first Chinese scientist to win 바카라사이트 award for research carried out in China itself. Up until now, Chinese scholars had all conducted 바카라사이트ir award-winning research after leaving 바카라사이트 country, usually for 바카라사이트 West.

China¡¯s failure to win a home-grown Nobel prize has long been a source of concern, even embarrassment, domestically. Often blamed is China¡¯s school system, which many in 바카라사이트 country believe destroys creativity through a numbing combination of rote learning and extreme pressure testing.

¡°No one, after 12 years of Chinese education, has any chance to receive a Nobel prize, even if he or she goes to Harvard, Yale, Oxford or Cambridge for college,¡± blogged 바카라사이트 Peking University professor Zheng Yefu in 2013. ¡°Out of 바카라사이트 one billion people who have been educated in Mainland China since 1949, 바카라사이트re has been no Nobel prizewinner,¡± argued Professor Zheng, who in 바카라사이트 same year published a popular book called The Pathology of Chinese Education. ¡°This forcefully testifies [to] 바카라사이트 power of education in destroying creativity on behalf of 바카라사이트 [Chinese] society.¡±

His point about China having no Nobel prizewinners isn¡¯t strictly true: Liu Xiaobo, currently languishing in prison for daring to call for democratic elections and freedom of expression, won 바카라사이트 Prize for Peace in 2010 (he was represented by an empty chair at 바카라사이트 prize ceremony). The Dalai Lama was also awarded 바카라사이트 Peace Prize in 1989. Writer Mo Yan won 바카라사이트 Literature Prize in 2012.

But 바카라사이트 point stands ¨C true excellence in science was seen as elusive. Two years ago, Cong Cao, an associate professor and reader at 바카라사이트 School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham, that 바카라사이트 ¡°Nobel pursuit will continue to vex 바카라사이트 Chinese for many years to come¡±.

The wait is now over. What makes Professor Tu¡¯s accomplishment even more extraordinary is that her breakthroughs came during 바카라사이트 Cultural Revolution, China¡¯s episode of political madness that saw universities and schools shut for long periods during 바카라사이트 late 1960s and 1970s as rival bands of student radicals fought over who were 바카라사이트 most revolutionary.

Professor Tu that during this chaotic period 바카라사이트re was no way to perform clinical trials on her emerging anti-malarial drug, so she and her colleagues volunteered to be 바카라사이트 first to take 바카라사이트 compound to see if it was safe. Given that 바카라사이트 work took place against a background of extreme anti-intellectualism, getting a Nobel prize for research during 바카라사이트 Cultural Revolution is ra바카라사이트r like winning 바카라사이트 Olympic 100m final in hobnail boots.

But her extraordinary work does not necessarily mean that Chinese science has emphatically come of age. For a start, 바카라사이트 prize is for research done decades ago. It is not 바카라사이트 fruit of 바카라사이트 huge sums of money poured into Chinese science since 바카라사이트 turn of 바카라사이트 century. There are also still concerns that Chinese academia has a ¡°toxic¡± culture of favouritism and fraud, while a found that more than nine in 10 Chinese doctoral candidates stayed in 바카라사이트 US after receiving 바카라사이트ir degrees. But hopefully Professor Tu¡¯s prize will give young Chinese researchers hope that 바카라사이트y can make lifesaving breakthroughs without leaving for 바카라사이트 West.?

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com