Yuan Longping is widelyacknowledgedas China’s "father of hybrid rice".
Upon graduation, Yuan took up a position as a teacher in a college. Heinsisted on studying agriculture while teaching.
In 1960, Professor Yuan unexpectedly found an "outstanding" rice plant with excellent properties. He carefully analysed it and came to the conclusion that this extraordinary rice was a natural hybrid rice. This crucial finding fueled his enthusiasm for the study of hybrid rice. Despite encountering numerous difficulties, he continued his scientific research under hard circumstances with great passion. As a consequence, Yuan and his team obtained remarkable success, significantly improving China’s rice output. Tosum up, Yuan committed all his life to defeating hunger.
Yuan passed away in 2021, aged 91, and the whole nation mourned his death. He will be forever remembered by Chinese people and the world.