World laureates sound off in Hainan

Dan Shechtman, 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry

Shechtman was the sole winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2011 for his discovery of seemingly impossible crystal structures in metal alloys. Instead of the regular patterns seen in other crystallized materials, the atoms in his "quasi-period materials" were arranged so that they were regular but never repeated. His discoveries in the early 1980s changed chemistry.

"My first visit to China was in 1987, and I've been following the country's progress. It's really amazing."

"Chinese scientists are publishing more good papers. We do not see the prizes yet, but the prizes will come."

"There is a lot of investment by the government in science, which is extremely important. My recommendation is teaching children science. I come from Israel and I teach science to three 5-year-old children in kindergarten. This is the future, because these young people will become the future scientists."

"China is now making very great progress in science and technology. Also, I think science is important for mankind in the future and for the future of the Chinese people."