“A dream of enjoying the cool under the paddy - a lifelong pursuit”. On May 22, Yuan Longping, a 91-year-old man, passed away. In view of the needs of China and the Chinese people and the goal of contributing to the state and the people, he worked hard in the fields and engaged in the research and development of hybrid rice. Yuan Longping, a pioneer of the research and development of hybrid rice in China and also the first scientist who successfully exploited the heterosis of rice in the world, greatly increased yield per unit area of paddy, and he was praised as the “Father of Hybrid Rice”.


Academician Yuan Longping was a special expert of the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform. In 2017, he attended the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum and delivered a keynote speech “Marine Technology and Food Security”, in which, he proposed to “develop seawater rice and utilize saline-alkali land to ensure food security of our country and even the world.”


Academician Yuan Longping made positive contributions to enriching the contents of the Platform and Forum, accelerating the construction of the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform, and promoting marine cooperation and exchanges in East Asia.