Dolly's creator in search of new blood

British scientist Ian Wilmut, who cloned the world's first sheep, first visited China about 20 years ago. The embryologist became interested in China's domestically produced pigs and on his return to Scotland, he took back a few with him.

Pigs raised in Europe tend to be leaner and not so fertile, while those raised in China are usually fatter and more productive, explained the embryologist. Dedicated to the pursuit of the advancement of animal husbandry, Wilmut hoped to identify the gene in the pigs from China that contributes to their fertility and transfer it to the pigs in Scotland.

Twenty years later, Wilmut, widely known as the scientist behind "Dolly the sheep", paid his second visit to China, yet with quite a different purpose.