2002年1月3日,由中央电视台评选的“2001中国经济年度十大人物”揭晓颁奖,经济学家吴敬琏赫然荣登榜首。颁奖词文采飞扬:“他是一位无私的、具有深刻忧患意识的人,一个纯粹的人,一个特立独行的智者,一个把中国百姓的疾苦当作自己疾苦的经济学家,一个睿智和良知兼备的学者。他体现了中国知识分子‘先天下之忧而忧,后天下之乐而乐’的高贵品质,是年过七旬 On January 3, 2002, “China’s Top Ten People of the Year in Economy 2001” was appraised by CCTV and economist Wu Jinglian impressively topped the list. The presentation of the award winning speech: "He is an unselfish, deeply aware man, a pure man, a maverick wise man, an economist who treats the suffering of the Chinese people as his own, a wise and A scholar of both conscience and knowledge, he embodies the noble qualities of Chinese intellectuals ’worries of the world and worry and happiness after the world’