Science, Medicine & Engineering
Peerless
Yuan Longping
1930 β 2021
Developer of hybrid rice, the father of hybrid rice
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the China Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
The agricultural scientist who developed the first high-yield hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s, credited with feeding hundreds of millions of people.
Having lived through the famine years, Yuan Longping devoted his career to raising rice yields. His team developed the first commercially successful hybrid rice in the 1970s, and its varieties came to be grown across China and in many countries in Asia and Africa.
He received the World Food Prize in 2004. When he died in 2021, crowds lined the streets of Changsha to mourn him.
He received the World Food Prize in 2004. When he died in 2021, crowds lined the streets of Changsha to mourn him.
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