People bid farewell to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)
CHANGSHA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday morning held a memorial service to bid farewell to Yuan Longping, known as the "father of hybrid rice," who passed away on Saturday.
Despite being a busy work day, thousands of people showed up and laid flowers at the site before the service began at 10 a.m. in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province.
The top rice scientist, who cultivated the first high-yield hybrid rice strain, died of organ failure at 91 in Changsha.
The agronomist helped China work a great wonder -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total arable land.
He is deeply respected in China, where getting enough to eat was once a serious problem. In 2019, Yuan was awarded the Medal of the Republic, China's highest state honor.
People lay flowers to pay their homage to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
People are seen on their way to bid farewell to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Wangmin)
People are seen on their way to bid farewell to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
People are seen on their way to bid farewell to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
People are seen on their way to bid farewell to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
People are seen on their way to bid farewell to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
People are seen on their way to bid farewell to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
People lay flowers to pay their homage to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
People lay flowers to pay their homage to deceased scientist Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
Deng Ze, wife of deceased scientist Yuan Longping, attends his funeral at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)■
