Abstract:  A total of 71 million people in the world are estimated to have been infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV), and many of them are subject to develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020 was awarded to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for their outstanding contributions in “the discovery of hepatitis C virus”. The process of HCV research is no doubt a history of mankind’s victory in fighting against viruses. The application of molecular biology technology has played an instrumental role in many aspects, from the discovery of HCV to the successful development of antiviral drugs, which sets an excellent model for modern virology research.