By The Inquirer‘s Jeff Gammage – He’s a leader among young Asian immigrants, an explorer of activist ideals, a part-time teacher of Chinese opera, a son of South Philadelphia by way of Fujian province.

And on Thursday, he was honored at City Hall, praised by Mayor Nutter as “a champion of peace.”

Wei Chen, 22, smiled nervously in the glare of TV lights as friends and colleagues applauded.

In some ways, the last four years have felt to him like four lifetimes, carrying big rewards and huge challenges.

Chen described his single-minded goal: “Making more peacemakers.”

The midmorning event was not an awards ceremony but a chance for Chen to be recognized in his hometown for something special: In October, he was one of 10 young people nationwide to receive a $50,000 prize from Peace First, a Boston group. Nearly 700 applied.