China's Most Famous "Farmer"

    Every scientist has a childhood dream. A scientist in China once had a dream. He wished to grow a new type of rice. The grain of this new type of rice would be as big as a peanut so that farmers could rest in the cool shadows of big rice plants.

    This person is Yuan Longping —"Father" of Hybrid Rice. Yuan Longping- "Father" of Hybrid Rice Early years, Yuan Longping was born in 1930. He graduated from the Southwest Agricultural University in 1953. His work, He came up with an idea for a hybrid rice in the 1960s. Since then, he has devoted himself to research and to the development of new varieties. In 1973, together with other people, he succeeded in the development of hybrid rice.

    This made China a worldwide leader in rice production. For this, he was honored with the name "Father" of Hybrid Rice. In 1980, the technology for hybrid rice was introduced to the United States.

    Because of Professor Yuan's hard work, China now produces enough rice to feed her people every year. Besides, many other countries including the U.S. have benefitted from his work. What does he do in his spare time? In his spare time, he loves playing the violin and listening to music.

    Every night, he reads for half an hour before he goes to sleep. He likes swimming, too.

It is said that Professor Yuan is one of the richest people in China. But he cares about nothing but his research. What is he doing now? Now Professor Yuan is working on developing super hybrid rice.

    He goes to the fields twice a day.