Yuan Longping’s Affection Towards Henan

Yuan Longping's Affection Towards Henan

袁隆平与河南的不了情

 

Dubbed the "father of hybrid rice", Yuan Longping, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering who made great contributions to China's food security, died on May 22 at age 91.

与现代中国粮食安全有着重要关系的“杂交水稻之父”袁隆平院士，5月22日逝世，享年91岁。

Yuan Longping checks hybrid rice in Shangcheng county. [Photo/Henan Daily]

When he was alive, Yuan came to Henan  many times, thus having a deep affection towards it.

有生之年，他曾多次来河南。河南与他，有着深深的不了情。

 

A family picture taken at Jigong Mountain when Yuan was 6

6岁时鸡公山前全家合影

 

Academician Yuan Longping devoted all his life to the research on rice. His affection towards Henan is mainly centered on Xinyang, one of the main areas of rice production in Henan.

袁隆平院士，一辈子都在与水稻打交道。他与河南的交往地，主要集中在河南的水稻主产区之一信阳市。

 

It is Xinyang that made him get acquainted with Henan.

他最早结缘河南，恰巧也在信阳。

 

In 1936, Yuan's father worked at Pinghan (Beiping-Hankou) Railway Bureau. Around one year later, the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression drove countless Chinese people away from their homes. Yuan was filled with resentment whenever he thought of it.

1936年，袁隆平的父亲在平汉铁路局工作。不到一年后，日寇的铁蹄践踏，祖国的大好河山被肆意蹂躏，人民流离失所，食不果腹。每当想起这些，袁隆平都满腔愤恨。

 

Yuan's Autobiography includes the picture mentioned above and the story behind it.

《袁隆平自传》里，收录有他6岁时，全家人在鸡公山报晓峰前游玩的照片以及照片背后的故事。

 

Enhancing rice production working in fields

来到地头指导水稻高产

 

As a rice researcher, Yuan revisited Shangcheng county of Henan in September 2008, and accepted an offer of the chief technical adviser for the planting of 5 million mu (333333.33 hectares) of hybrid rice in Xinyang and the high-yielding project of "producing 4-mu grain on 3-mu hybrid rice field". Therefore, Xinyang became the largest "high-yield demonstration field" in China grown by Yuan and his team at that time. Later, he also conducted the second and third trial projects with the yield of 800 kg/mu and 900 kg/mu successively in Xinyang.

从事水稻研究后，2008年9月，袁隆平再次来到河南商城县指导水稻种植，并欣然应聘信阳市500万亩杂交水稻暨“种三产四”丰产工程科技总顾问。由此，信阳成为袁隆平当时在全国最大的一块“高产示范田”，袁隆平将亩产800公斤和亩产900公斤的第二期、第三期超级杂交水稻攻关项目，也先后放在信阳试验。

 

Yuan came to this demonstration field 4 times within 8 years. Xinyang, with hybrid rice production jumping from 8 billion jin (1 jin = 0.5 kg) to 11 jin in less than 6 years, became one of the 18 prefecture-level cities in China that produced more than 10 billion jin of grain.

信阳的试验田，袁隆平8年中去了4次。信阳的杂交水稻生产，也在不到6年时间里，从80亿斤到110亿斤，成为全国18个粮食生产超百亿斤的省辖市之一。

 

Assisting Henan with the encouragement of Premier Li

助力河南实现“总理任务”

 

Xinyang was one of Yuan's hybrid rice pilot fields; while Henan played a significant role to realize his dream of helping more people get enough to eat.

信阳，是袁隆平的水稻杂交试验地之一。河南，则是他悲天悯人让“天下人有饭吃”宏愿实现的重要一环。

 

On August 28, 2015, Yuan came to Modern Agriculture Pilot Zone of Henan Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Crops for pre-estimate of the high-yield demonstration project of super hybrid rice with an aim to yield 900 kg per mu on 66.67 ha and 800 kg per mu on 666.7 ha.

2015年8月28日，袁隆平到光山县河南粮食作物协同创新中心现代农业试验区，对超级杂交水稻“百千万”高产攻关示范工程进行收获前的“预评估”。

 

In this pilot zone were planted Yuan's super hybrid rice varieties, such as Chaoyou 1,000, Y Liangyou 900 and Y Liangyou 143, etc.

这个试验区，种的不是一般水稻，是由袁隆平选配的“超优1000”“Y两优900”“Y两优143”等超级杂交稻品种。

 

Behind this was his ambition to help Henan fulfill Premier Li Keqiang's expectation.

这背后，是袁隆平助力河南实现“总理任务”的雄心壮志。

 

On January 17, 2014, at the symposium to solicit opinions for the Government Work Report (Draft), Premier Li told Yuan, "Not only 100 mu can be planted with the hybrid rice seeds, but 1,000 mu, 10,000 mu! I'll back you up".

2014年1月17日，李克强总理在《政府工作报告（征求意见稿）》座谈会上向袁隆平提出：“超级杂交稻攻关不仅要搞百亩，还要搞千亩、万亩，一定支持你们！”

 

In May, 2014, the above-mentioned high-yield demonstration project of super hybrid rice led by Yuan Longping was launched, with the collaboration of National Hybrid Rice Engineering Research Center and Henan Agricultural University.

面对总理的嘱托，2014年3月，由袁隆平挂帅，国家杂交水稻工程技术研究中心、河南农业大学协同合作，在光山县实施了超级杂交稻“百千万”高产攻关示范工程。

 

On September 15, 2015, experts organized by the Department of Agriculture of Henan Province visited three 1,000-mu fields at the 10,000-mu demonstration pilot for acceptance inspection, which showed a yield of more than 900 kg/mu with the highest of 913.9 kg/mu. It was the first time in China that a contiguous 1,000-mu field achieved big harvest.

2015年9月15日，河南省农业厅组织的专家组对光山县超级杂交稻万亩示范片中的三个千亩片进行现场考察和实割测产验收结果显示，千亩片亩产突破900公斤，最高达913.9公斤。千亩连片大面积高产，在全国尚属首次。

 

Premier's expectation was fulfilled ahead of schedule.

“总理任务”提前完成。

 

New "disciples" recruited in Henan

传道授业河南收徒

 

During his visits to Henan, Yuan forged a deep friendship with Henan.

来来往往中，袁隆平与河南结下了深厚情谊。

 

In 2014, Yuan was appointed by Henan Agricultural University as the chief scientist for rice research at Henan Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Crops. In September of 2015, the first batch of "disciples" recruited by Yuan was registered in Henan Agricultural University, including 1 PhD student and 2 postgraduates.

袁隆平受聘河南农业大学，担任由该校牵头的“2011计划”河南粮食作物协同创新中心水稻首席科学家。2015年9月，袁隆平在河南招收的首批弟子入学河南农业大学，包括1名博士研究生、2名硕士研究生。

 

"I am very excited and proud of myself. My parents advise me to utilize the precious opportunity to the best advantage," said Li Mengqi, a newly-enrolled student of Henan Agricultural University in 2011 when receiving the admission letter, "My classmates all admire me".

“我很激动，很骄傲，我父母嘱咐我好好学，机会难得。”接到录取通知书时，河南农业大学2011级学生李梦琪说，“同学都很羡慕我。”

 

It's blessed to be students supervised by Yuan. Meanwhile it also means their life is definitely not easy, because they have the responsibility to work hard with their tutor for the country's food security.

成为“大腕”袁隆平的学生，是福气，却并不轻松。因为，他们肩负着守护国家粮食安全的责任。

 

Now, his star has set. And to people all over the world, Yuan, a Chinese who dedicated himself to grain production, is really remarkable.

如今，袁隆平院士已经离开了我们。在全世界人眼里，袁隆平，这个一辈子扎根粮食增产的中国人，真是了不起。（中文来源/河南日报 翻译/赵汉青 审校/丁岚）