Huang, 92, spearheaded the design of China's first generation nuclear submarine. On Dec 26, 1970, Long March First, China's earliest nuclear submarine prototype, set sail on its maiden voyage. Huang, 44 at the time, set the world record as first chief engineer to be onboard a submarine for its test dive.

Recalling the early days working on the nuclear submarine, where they had to start from scratch and sometimes resort to abacuses to compute complex data, Huang said he is proud to be Chinese and called on the young to contribute to great causes.

"Young people should remember their responsibility, and align their personal pursuits with China's development," he said.

Celebrating his centennial this year, nuclear scientist Cheng was awarded for his work on China's first nuclear bomb. His daughter Cheng Shuyu accepted the lifetime achievement award on his behalf.