Yang Li, professor, Peking University Hospital.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Where have all the women gone? Why don't they continue with their studies?" Zhang asks.

After giving birth to her second child last year, Zhang says she seldom needs to work overtime.

"It's not as difficult as many young female students may imagine. I work quite efficiently during the day. In the morning, I concentrate on my work one hundred percent, with my phone in silence mode," she says.

"Actually within the space of just four hours, you can achieve a lot. In the afternoon, I deal with other work. My role as a mother and a wife is also very important, and I enjoy it quite a lot."

"It's a pity that a lot of female students just give up without trying," she says.
Waiting in the greenroom ahead of the ceremony, Zhang agrees with two of the other award winners, Xu Qi and Yang Li, that they never suffered gender discrimination during their education and in the field of scientific research－which is a world where academics prove their ability through the strength of their research papers.