Nobel Prize winner James Fraser Stoddart makes a speech at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou on May 3. [Photo/WeChat account: zhejiangkepu]

Nobel Prize winner James Fraser Stoddart made a speech at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on May 3, and took questions from the young Chinese audience, local media reported.

Stoddart, Scottish-American chemist who was the first to successfully synthesize a mechanically-interlocked molecule known as a catenane, thereby helping to establish the field of mechanical bond chemistry, was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Jean-Pierre Sauvage and Bernard Feringa "for their design and production of molecular machines". "They have developed molecules with controllable movements, which can perform a task when energy is added," the academy said in a statement.

During the two-hour speech, Stoddart, 81, talked about his personal experience and academic research over the past decades, enjoying his time with young people from various colleges and schools in Hangzhou.

On the eve of the May Day holiday, Stoddart walked around West Lake, a popular scenic spot in Hangzhou. The professor, who was born on a Scottish farm, said he's loved running since he was a child and encouraged young people to have the courage to break through comfort zones and have a go in new fields.

He praised Hangzhou's historical and cultural relics and cultural heritage as well as its urban environment, clean streets, and the orderliness it was able to achieve despite its huge population.

Highlighting the importance of innovation, he said that China's importance to the world is self-evident, and Hangzhou's importance to China is increasing day by day, especially in the future. As China's role in the world becomes increasingly important, Hangzhou's technological development will also become increasingly important, he said.

The speech attracts crowds of young people from various colleges and schools in Hangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: zhejiangkepu]