BEIJING -- An asteroid has been named after Liu Hui, a mathematician who lived during China's Wei and Jin dynasties (220-420), to honor both Liu and the Chinese mathematics he represented.

A ceremony at the China Science and Technology Museum on Monday announced the name, which has been approved by the International Astronomical Union.

The asteroid, coded 361712, was discovered by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Purple Mountain Observatory.

Liu was a principal founder of China's classical mathematical theory and holds an important position in the global history of mathematics.