Young Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang won the gold medal at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, organizers announced on June 7.

Nineteen-year-old Zhang, the youngest participant in the contest, shared the first prize with 20-year-old Nobuyuki Tsujii, from Japan, after 17 days of competition. The silver medal went to Yeol Eum Son from South Korea.

Haochen Zhang and his mother

The awards ceremony was held on June 7 at Fort Worth in the U.S. state of Texas.

Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, launched 47 years ago in honor of American pianist Van Cliburn, is known as one of the top five piano competitions in the world.

After global screening early this year in China, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and the United States, 30 among 250 applicants had been chosen for the preliminary round of the thirteenth Van Cliburn piano competition.

Nine of the competitors are of Chinese descent, the first time in the competition's history, organizers said.

Haochen Zhang, who gave his debut recital at the age of five, moved to the United States at 15 to attend the Curtis Institute of Music. He was the first-prize winner of the 2007 China International Piano Competition.

Zhang's compatriot, Di Wu, was among the six finalists at the competition.

Besides medals and cash awards, winners at the competition will also be granted with concert engagements in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Editor: Dong Jirong