The statue of Yuan Longping, the “Father of Hybrid Rice,” stands as a testament to his groundbreaking contributions. Born on September 7, 1930, in Beijing and hailing from De’an County in Jiangxi Province, Yuan Longping was a pioneering expert in hybrid rice breeding in China and the trailblazer behind China’s research and development of hybrid rice. He is widely revered as the “Father of World Hybrid Rice,” having successfully addressed the food security challenges faced by China’s 1.4 billion people, shattered Western predictions that China could not feed itself, and made monumental contributions to global food security.

On September 8, 2018, Yuan Longping was awarded the Life Sciences Prize of the Future Science Prize; on December 18, 2018, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council honored him with the title of “Pioneer of Reform” and presented him with the Reform Pioneer Medal, recognizing his pioneering work in hybrid rice research. On September 17, 2019, President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order conferring upon Yuan Longping the “Medal of the Republic.”