Since 1957, there have been thirteen Chinese (including Chinese-born) winners of the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize is a Sweden-based international monetary prize. The award was established by the 1895 will and estate of Swedish chemist and inventor Alfred Nobel. It was first awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace in 1901. An associated prize, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was instituted by Sweden's central bank in 1968 and first awarded in 1969.
Following is a list of Nobel laureates who have been citizens of the Republic of China or the People's Republic of China and of overseas birth.
Laureates Chinese citizens
Republic of China (Taiwan) The following are Nobel laureates who have been citizens of the Republic of China (current capital in Taipei) at any point before, during, or after receiving the Nobel Prize.Country: China. Physics 1957 (by Internet Archive) YearLaureate Chinese name English name Category Life Rationale Place of birth1957 Yang Chen-Ning Physics 1922–2025 "for their penetrating investigation of the so-called parity laws which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles"Hefei, Anhui, China Tsung-Dao Lee Physics 1926–2024Shanghai, China1976Samuel C. C. TingPhysics1936–"for pioneering work in the discovery of a heavy elementary particle of a new kind."Ann Arbor, Michigan, United StatesDual-citizen of and Republic of China1986 Yuan T. LeeChemistry1936–"for contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes".Shinchiku City, Shinchiku Prefecture, Japanese Taiwan
People's Republic of China The following are Nobel laureates who have been citizens of the People's Republic of China at any point before, during, or after receiving the Nobel Prize.Country: China. Physics 1957 (by Internet Archive) Year Laureate Chinese name English name Category Life Rationale Place of birth 1957 Yang Chen-Ning Physics 1922–2025 Shared with Tsung-Dao Lee; "for their penetrating investigation of the so-called parity laws which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles"Hefei, Anhui, China 2000 Gao Xingjian Literature 1940– "for an œuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity, which has opened new paths for the Chinese novel and drama".Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China 2010 Liu Xiaobo Peace 1955–2017 "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".Changchun, Jilin, China 2012 Mo Yan Literature 1955– "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary".Gaomi, Shandong, China 2015 Tu Youyou Physiology or Medicine 1930– "for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria".Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Chinese diaspora YearLaureate Chinese name English name Category Life Rationale Place of birth 1997 Steven Chu Physics 1948– "for development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light".St. Louis, Missouri, United StatesPhysics 1976 (by Internet Archive) 1998 Daniel C. Tsui Physics 1939–"for discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations"Pingdingshan, Henan, China 2008 Roger Y. Tsien Chemistry 1952–2016 "for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP"New York City, New York, United StatesPhysics 1976 (by Internet Archive) 2009 Charles K. Kao Physics 1933–2018 "for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication"Shanghai, China
Others Tibetan The following are the Nobel laureates who were of uncertain citizenship at the time they were awarded the Nobel Prize. YearLaureate Category Life Rationale Place of birth198914th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)Peace1935– "for advocating peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people."Taktser, Qinghai, China
See also List of Chinese people List of Chinese scientists List of black Nobel laureates List of Latino and Hispanic Nobel laureates List of Nobel laureates by country
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