World will remember Yuan Longping for his contribution to...

Although he is one of China’s most famous scientists. Yuan Longping considers himself a farmer, for he works the land to do his research. Indeed, his sunburned face and arms and his slim, strong body are just like those of millions of Chinese farmers, for whom he has struggled for the past five decades. Yuan Longping grows what is called super hybrid rice. In 1971, he became the first agricultural pioneer in the world, to grow rice that has a high output. This special strain of rice makes it possible to produce 20% more of the crop in the same fields. Now more than 60% of the rice produced in China each year is from this hybrid strain.

Born in 1930, Yuan Longping graduated from Southwest Agricultural College in 1953. Since then, finding ways to grow more rice has been his life goal. As a young man, he saw the great need for increasing the rice output. At that time, hunger was a disturbing problem in many parts of the countryside. Yuan Longping searched for a way to increase rice harvests without expanding the area of about fifty-six million tons of rice. In a recent harvest, however, nearly two hundred million tons of rice was produced. These increased harvests mean that 22% of the world’s people are fed from just 7% of the farmland in the world. Yuan Longping is now circulating this knowledge in India, Vietnam, and many other less developed countries to increase their rice harvests. Thanks to his research, the UN has more tools in the battle to rid the world of hunger. Using his hybrid rice, farmers are producing harvests twice as large as before.

Yuan Longping is quite satisfied with his life. However, he doesn’t care about being famous. He feels it gives him less freedom to do his research. He would much rather keep time for his hobbies. He enjoys listening to violin music, playing mah-jong, swimming and reading. Spending money on himself or leading a comfortable life also means very little to him. Indeed, he believes that a person with too much money has more rather than fewer troubles. He, therefore, gives millions of Yuan to equip others for their research in agriculture.

Just dreaming for things, however, costs nothing. Long ago Yuan Longping had a dream about rice plants as tall as sorghum. Each ear of rice was as big as an ear of corn and each grain of rice was huge as a peanut. He awoke from his dream with the hope of producing a kind of rice that could feed more people. Now, many years later, Yuan Longping has another dream: to exports his rice so that it can be grown around the globe. One dream is not always enough, especially for a person who loves and cares for his people.

--- a ltter from Yuan Longping to his mom

亲爱的妈妈：

稻子熟了，妈妈，我来看您了。

妈妈，您在安江，我在长沙，隔得很远很远。我在梦里总是想着您，想着安江这个地方。

人事难料啊，您这样一位习惯了繁华都市生活的大家闺秀，最后竟会永远留在这么一个偏远的小山村。

还记得吗？1953年，我要从重庆的大学分配到这儿，是您陪着我，脸贴着地图，手指顺着密密麻麻的细线，找了很久，才找到地图上这么一个小点点。当时您叹了口气说：“孩子，你到那儿，是要吃苦的呀……”

我说：“我年轻，我会拉小提琴。”

没想到的是，为了我，为了帮我带小孩，把您也拖到了安江。最后，受累吃苦的，是妈妈您哪！您哪里走得惯乡间的田埂！我总记得，每次都要小孙孙牵着您的手，您才敢走过屋前屋后的田间小道。

对一辈子都生活在大城市里的您来说，70岁了，一切还要重新来适应。我从来没有问过您有什么难处，我总以为会有时间的，会有时间的，等我闲一点一定好好地陪陪您……哪想到，直到您走的时候，我还在长沙忙着开会。那天正好是中秋节，全国的同行都来了，搞杂交水稻不容易啊，我又是组织者，怎么着也得陪大家过这个节啊，只是儿子永远亏欠妈妈您了……其实我知道，那个时候已经是您的最后时刻。我总盼望着妈妈您能多撑两天。谁知道，即便是天不亮就往安江赶，我还是没能见上妈妈您最后一面。

太晚了，一切都太晚了，我真的好后悔，妈妈，当时您一定等了我很久，盼了我很长时间，您一定有很多话要对儿子说，有很多事要交代。可我怎么就那么糊涂呢！这么多年哪，为什么我就不能少下一次田，少做一次试验，少出一天差，坐下来静静地好好陪陪您。哪怕，哪怕就一次也好。

妈妈，每当我的研究取得成果，每当我在国际讲坛上谈笑风生，每当我接过一座又一座奖杯，我总是对人说，这辈子对我影响最深的人就是妈妈您啊！

无法想象，没有您的英语启蒙，在一片闭塞中，我怎么能够用英语阅读世界上最先进的科学文献，用超越那个时代的视野，去寻访遗传学大师孟德尔和摩尔根？无法想象，在那个颠沛流离的岁月中，从北平到汉口，从桃源到重庆，没有您的执着和鼓励，我怎么能够获得系统的现代教育，获得在大江大河中自由遨游的胆识？

无法想象，没有您跟我讲尼采，讲这位昂扬着生命力、意志力的伟大哲人，我怎么能够在千百次的失败中坚信，必然有一粒种子可以使万千民众告别饥饿。他们说，我用一粒种子改变了世界。我知道，这粒种子，是妈妈您在我幼年时种下的！

稻子熟了，妈妈，您能闻到吗？安江可好？那里的田埂是不是还留着熟悉的欢笑？隔着21年的时光啊，我依稀看见，小孙孙牵着您的手，走过稻浪的背影；我还要告诉您，一辈子没有耕种过的母亲，稻芒划过手掌，稻草在场上堆积成垛，谷子在阳光中噼啪作响，水田在夕晒下泛出橙黄的颜色。这都是儿子要跟您说的话，说不完的话啊！……

儿：平

摘自《梦圆大地：袁隆平传》