China mourns for the 'father of hybrid rice'...

100,000’s of people mourning for the passing of the ‘father of hybrid rice’ last weekend at the funeral home and yesterday during the funeral in #Changsha, #Hunan province. Furthermore tens of millions commemorated scientist 袁隆平 Yuan Longping around the country and on social media.

People flocked from all over the country to Changsha yesterday to pay last respects to Yuan Longping, taxis and buses were driving passengers free of charge to the funeral site, a spontaneous outpouring of public grief for the agronomist and national hero.

Yuan Longping is known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s, providing a robust food source in regions throughout the world with high risks of famine. Sometimes quoted in China as the man who “fed 70 million more people”, hybrid rice has been introduced in more than 40 countries since then.

The national commemoration offline and online for Yuan Longping has been more than overwhelming and impressive for many, from young to old.

#china#chinesesociety#chineseculture#chinatoday