Posted by John Chan | May 24, 2021
This weekend, the Chinese public mourned the passing of Yuan Longping, the Chinese agronomist whose scientific breakthroughs in rice development helped to usher in the Green Revolution that ended famine in large parts of the world. Yuan, who was awarded China’s highest official honor in 2019, passed away on Saturday in Changsha at the age of 90. Throngs of citizens and public officials mourned his passing and celebrated his achievements, but authorities were also quick to censor criticism and arrest individuals who insulted him online. The New York Times’ Keith Bradsher and Chris Buckley
Mr. Yuan’s research made him a national hero and a symbol of dogged scientific pursuit in China. His death triggered messages of grief across the country, where Mr. Yuan slight, elfin-featured and wizened in old age was a celebrity. Hundreds left flowers at the funeral home where his body was being kept.