Mao Yushi, one of the most renowned Chinese economists and the honorary president of the Unirule Institute of Economics, and his wife Zhao Yanling attended the award presentation of the Cato Institute’s Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty at the night of 4th May 2012 in Washington, D.C. When receiving his award, Mao Yushi said, “I view the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty awarded by the Cato Institute as an encouragement to all the Chinese people who have been pursuing liberty in the past years.”

The 83-year-old economist drew wide attention both at home and abroad by winning the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty as most of his awards were won due to his accomplishments in the field of economics. When being interviewed after knowing that he was named the winner on May 30th, Mao Yushi said that the fact that the Cato Institute awarded me this prize indicated that China had made great success in pursuing liberty and that China’s accomplishment in this aspect is rather significant in comparison with other developing countries.

Ms. Zhao Yanling, who accompanied him to the U.S. to receive the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, has kept him company for over half a century through various political movements in China. She went through thick and thin with him and had always been at his side even when he was labeled as rightists and suffering bitterness during the Cultural Revolution. That’s why Mao said that his wife was the one he would like to write about most.

Mao Yushi also made it clear that he would donate the prize money of $250,000 to two NGOs organized by himself, the Unirule Institute of Economics and another poverty alleviation foundation.
 
Mao Yushi will give a lecture at the Columbia University after the award ceremony and then return to Beijing with his wife during the middle of this month.

Established in 2002 and presented every two years, the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty is the leading international award for significant contributions to advancing individual liberty. The Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman died in November of 2006.