Sponsored by more than ten outstanding domestic and foreign media outlets, the ceremony awarded 8 individuals and 3 teams for their work to advance Chinese society.

In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award and Star of Hope designations, the awards covered four dimensions: Science and Skills, Culture and Arts, Sports, and Public Affairs. They were awarded to Sun Da-wen, Lang Lang, Betty Chinn (Guan Huiqun), Chen Qigang, Wang Jun, Cassandra Lin (Lin Xinyu), Daya Bay Collaboration, Shenzhou IX Crew, the Chinese Sports Delegation to the 30th Olympic Games, Mo Yan, and Lifetime Achievement recipient Master Hsing Yun.

Lifetime Achievement Award

1. Unwavering Advancement Despite Life's Twists and Turns Leads to the Attainment of Wisdom and Fortune --Master Hsing Yun

Hsing Yun, 87, founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order as well as the affiliated Buddha's Light International Association is a forefront leader of the international Buddhist community. Devoting his life to propagating Buddhism he, along with his order, has built monasteries, universities and schools around the world. In his life he has built a network of thousands of disciples and billions of followers. An advocate of the One China Policy, he engages himself in promoting communication between mainland China and Taiwan. “It is my duty to propagate Buddhism. The four universities and four middle schools- were not built on my own, but by all of us, as well as the monasteries on Fo Guang Shan,” he said. “So this Lifetime Achievement Award does not belong to me; it is the success of us.” He shared with the audience an inscription of encouragement - ‘Unwavering Advancement Despite Life's Twists and Turns Leads to the Attainment of Wisdom and Fortune’. Hsing Yun thinks highly of Chinese culture, and believes that the wisdom of Chinese culture can contribute to the future world peace. “I’m proud to be a Chinese!”

Science and Skills

2. Be Cool-- Sun Dawen

3. A New Height of the Chinese Dream--Shenzhou IX Crew

June 21 of last year was a big day for Chinese dreams. China for the first time ever completed a manned space docking flight. What’s more, it was done with a team that included the first female astronaut ever, Liu Yang. It was astronaut Jing Haipeng’s second mission to space. ”We cannot forget the effort of millions of aerospace workers, the support of the Chinese people, and the cultivation of our motherland,” he acknowledged. “We owe this prize to China and the Chinese all over the world”.

4. Native PKUer--Wang Jun

From bachelor to doctor, Wang Jun spent his ten-year university career at Peking University. At only 37 years old, he is the executive director of Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI)-Shenzhen. The institute he is leading is the world’s largest genomics center. Since participating in the Human Genome Project in 1999, BGI has devoted itself to the study of genome sequencing and bringing real benefit to ordinary people. “I believe when everyone’s quality of life and everyone’s living standard changes because of gene tech, we will live up to the worth of this award,” Wang said.

5. A New Step to Explore the Mystery of the Universe --Daya Bay Collaboration

On the day of March 8, 2012 Daya Bay Collaboration announced news that shocked the world. Neutrinos, very light particles that spread out the universe soon after the Big Bang, were discovered to be in a new form of oscillation. This finding provided a new understanding of the universe and fundamental physics. Wang Yifang, representative of Daya Bay Collaboration, expressed his thoughts on fundamental science.“Actually, the value of science, just like art, and along with many other markers of modern civilization, lies not in an immediate utility, or to say that it will have an immediate effect on our GDP or economy, but that science is a part of human civilization. I hope this award inspires more people to support the development of science, the development of human civilization.”

Culture and Arts

6. From “Lack of Talent” to “Genius of Music”-- Lang Lang

Lang Lang started playing piano at the age of three and was expelled from his teacher’s class at the age of nine because of a “lack of talent”. At the age of 30, he was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. “At this time, I want to give my special gratitude to one person, my mother,” Lang Lang said. “Every two days, she flies with me to another city for a concert. She wakes me up every morning and reminds me to go to bed early every night. I own this prize to my mother!”

7. A Story Teller--Mo Yan

The first Chinese Nobel Prize winner,Mo Yan became a popular name around the world in 2012. Known for his low-key personality, Mo admits that even after one year of receiving the prize he still cannot adjust to the life of being an acclaimed writer. With hunger being the strongest memory of his childhood, he started to write novels simply under the motivation of “dumplings”. “I know in this world there are many writers, and many write better than me,” Mo said. “They are more competent of this prize, and I still feel ashamed.” He added that there are many people in all walks of life that contribute to the world and “because of them, the millions of ordinary people, can we be proud.”

8. Poet of Music--Chen Qigang

Composer of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games theme song You and Me, Chen is a leading musician that walks between China and Paris. His music mixes the East and the West. In his work, he introduced traditional Chinese music to the rest of the world. Chen joked, “When I was little, my mother thought I was not that smart. Even now, I still think so.”He added, “All my works are the result of diligence, persistence, and so-called perfectionism.”

Public Affairs

9. Mother of the Homeless-- Betty Chinn

Born in 1950s Guangdong, China, Betty Chinn has devoted 30 years to helping the homeless. In 2012 alone, Betty along with her volunteer team have provided 292,000 meals and 12,000 showers to the homeless, and 72 speeches to schools to encourage more people to join community service. “I don’t think I’m doing this charity work because I know them all; they are not my customers. They are my family, and they are my friends.” She noted that she felt excited about winning this prize because it gave her the chance to go back to her home, China.

Sports

10. “Gold medal, it is neither a standard nor a symbol”--Chinese Sports Delegation to the 30th Olympic Games

In the 30^th London Olympic Games, the Chinese Sports Delegation had its second best Olympics for the country in its history. The team brought home a total of 87 medals, ranking second in the world with the number of gold medals. When asked about the value of a gold medal, silver medalist Chen Yibing replied, “To an athlete, especially a competitive sports athlete and professional athlete, the gold medal is very important. When I heard my silver result I felt much more painful than anyone else. But,” he said, “the gold medal, it is neither a standard nor a symbol.” In his eyes, the hard work that goes into winning a medal means much more than the medal itself.“ It is the spirit of endurance and sticking to a goal that I value the most”.

Star of Hope

11. Little Girl with Big Dreams--Cassandra Lin

Fifteen year old Chinese-American Cassandra Lin had a dream. Her dream was to both solve an energy problem and help the needy by creating a program that converts cooking grease into heating oil. With the help of her friends, she made her “Turn Grease into Fuel (TGIF)” project come true. Her father, a Taiwanese, joked that his daughter had to come to the Glorious Night ceremony to arrange flowers. “But,” Cassandra said, “I know I have come here to plant trees. I hope I can plant the tree of passion, the passion of environmental protection within the Chinese youth, and I hope to see them grow.“She encouraged the young Chinese in her generation to “have your own dream, and try your best to chase it. With hard work, your dream will come true!”

Reported by: Zhao Xiaowei

Edited by: Alexandria Liu