Thousands pay last respects to 'father of hybrid rice'

By Feng Zhiwei in Changsha and Zhao Xinying in Beijing | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-05-24 20:06
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People gather at the Mingyangshan Mortuary House in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan province on Monday to bid farewell to Yuan Longping, dubbed the "father of hybrid rice". The top rice scientist died of organ failure at age 91 in the city on May 22, 2021. [Photo by Zhu Youfang/chinadaily.com.cn]

A memorial service to bid farewell to "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping was held in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province on Monday.

Despite it being a busy work day, thousands of people wearing black came to the Mingyangshan Mortuary House in the city, where the memorial service was held at 10 am, to present bouquets and bunches of rice and pay tribute to Yuan.

The top rice scientist, who developed the first high-yield hybrid rice strain in 1973, died of organ failure at age 91 on Saturday.

The agronomist spent over five decades researching and improving hybrid rice, which has reached its third generation, helping China work a great wonder -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total arable land.

People from all walks of life in China and abroad expressed their condolences after Yuan's death, which indicated that his contribution to the hybrid rice industry has been widely recognized and highly praised, Zhao Lijian, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a news conference in Beijing on Monday.

His death is a great loss to China and the world, and he will always be remembered by people, Zhao said.

He added that academician Yuan not only belongs to China, but also to the world. His lifelong dream was to see hybrid rice to be planted around the world, so no one will be left hungry.

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