An asteroid discovered by a Chinese observatory has been named after Zhu Guangya, a leading scientist in China's nuclear programs. The asteroid bears the international code No. 10388.

Premier Wen Jiabao attended a ceremony and workshop Sunday, at which Zhu accepted the certificate for his nominal possession of the asteroid from the hands of Lu Yongxiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Participants spoke on Zhu's thinking on the development of science in China and praised him for his remarkable contributions to the country over the past five decades.

Zhu, a physician and a member of both the CAS and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has been one of the leaders and organizersof the China's development programs for the A-bomb and the H-bomb.     

As a "strategic scientist," Zhu has also helped create the country's long-term development of defense technology.