6-year-old girl sets Rubik's Cube speed record, Chinese state media say

A 6-year-old Chinese girl has set a new women's world record for solving a 3x3 Rubik's Cube in just over 4 seconds, state media reported Tuesday.

Young speedcuber Lian Yunzhi broke the women's 3x3 average world record twice in three days at two World Cube Association certified competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, according to state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.

She posted averages of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds after solving the Rubik's Cube five times.

Lian, who is from Chengdu, in China's southern Sichuan province, is "the first female speedcuber to average under 4.5 seconds," CCTV added.

A video CCTV posted showed the small girl wearing a red gingham bow on her head as she deftly turned and twisted a Rubik's Cube.

After solving the puzzle, she placed the cube on the table, clapped her hands and fist pumped the air.

Nicknamed "Zhizhi," Lian was first introduced to the Rubik's Cube after being enrolled into a class as a child — one of various extracurriculars alongside dance and music lessons, her mother Lin Yangxi told local media outlets, according to the AFP news agency. 

Lin "gradually realized" that cubing was an "excellent activity for fostering a child's comprehensive abilities" and shifted her focus toward it, she told Chengdu's Red Star News.

Her daughter has now mastered over 1,300 Rubik's Cube solving algorithms, practicing daily for 2 to 3 hours, Lin said.

Photos from Red Star News showed Lian's trophies displayed on a shelf in her home.

"Solving a Rubik's Cube improves focus, memory, logical thinking, spatial awareness, and helps develop a healthy mindset toward winning and losing," Lin said.

"It's not just about blindly memorizing formulas, but using logical reasoning to find optimal solutions," she added.