Bidding farewell to 'father of hybrid rice'

Yuan Longping, dubbed the "father of hybrid rice", who died from multiple organ failure on Saturday at age 91, will long be remembered for his contribution to help feed the world.

The scientist was globally respected for his breakthroughs in developing the genetic materials and technologies essential for breeding high-yield hybrid rice varieties.

On behalf of President Xi Jinping, Xu Dazhe, secretary of the Communist Party of China Hunan Provincial Committee, made a special visit to Yuan's family on Sunday afternoon and conveyed the president's deep condolences for their loss.

Xi spoke highly of Yuan's contributions to China's food security, agricultural science and technology innovation, as well as global food development. He called on Party members and science and technology workers to learn from Yuan, emphasizing that the best way to memorialize the scientist is to learn from him.