Yu Min at work. [Photo/Xinhua]

Nuclear physicist Yu Min -- born in August 1926 to a modest family in Tianjin and who died on Jan 16 this year – was dubbed the father of China's H-bomb, an epithet he humbly disavowed.

Nonetheless, he won the Two Bombs, One Satellite Achievement Medal and in 2015 won China's top science award for his outstanding contribution to the country's hydrogen bomb research.

Yu, whose talent eventually landed him in Peking University, had shown great curiosity and potential for science at an early age.

He was involved in China's theoretical research of nuclear weapons since 1960. For the next 28 years, Yu and his work remained top national secrets.

On June 17, 1967, China successfully exploded its first hydrogen bomb in the Lop Nur Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It took China 32 months to move from its first atomic bomb to its first hydrogen bomb.

Yu Min delivered a speech after receivingTwo Bombs, One Satellite Achievement Medal. [Photo/Xinhua]

The feat was achieved using a single old-school computer, most of whose operating time was used in calculating data for the atomic bomb. To save time, Yu would memorize data and calculate with peers using pencils and slide rules, often for hours at a time.

Yu was one of the leading scientists in overcoming obstacles in the design of the H-bomb. As a result, in 1999, Yu received the Two Bombs, One Satellite Achievement Medal, the country's top award for scientists who contributed to China's nuclear and satellite programs.

In 2015, Yu received the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, the nation's highest scientific honor. Yu, however, humbly rejected the title "father of China's hydrogen bomb", saying the achievement belonged to the whole team.

"A man's name will vanish in time, but if he can contribute slightly to the nation's prosperity, I will be satisfied," Yu said.

"Without nuclear power, our nation could not achieve true independence. I had no choice but to devote myself to this grand project."

A photo of Yu Min. [Photo/Xinhua]

Extremely insightful and logical, yet humble and hardworking, Yu excelled at explaining complex ideas in simple terms and his academic reports were very popular among peers, according to one scientist colleague.

"I had never seen anyone excel in physics quite like him," the colleague added.

Unlike many of Yu's peers who studied abroad before returning home to join the nuclear program, Yu stayed at home.

Many referred to him as the "first domestic expert" in his field.