Father of hybrid rice celebrated in music

Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice", who died in 2021 at the age of 91, will be commemorated by the China National Traditional Orchestra in a concert, titled One Seed Changes the World, featuring new music commissioned specifically.

Sponsored by the municipal government of Huaihua, a city in Hunan province, the new music has been written by a group of composers led by the renowned Du Mingxin, and will premiere in Beijing on Sept 4 under the baton of Wang Fujian.

Following its premiere, the concert will also be performed in Changsha and Huaihua on Sept 13 and 15.

Yuan was respected for the breakthroughs he made in developing the genetic materials and technology essential to breeding high-yield hybrid rice varieties.

Born in 1930 in Beijing, and raised in an era of war and famine, Yuan saw for himself the despair of people displaced from their homes after losing their land. When he applied for university, he decided to study agriculture and after graduation, he was assigned to teach at an agriculture school in a remote town in Huaihua, where he contributed to national development by disseminating agricultural knowledge and techniques.

Between 1959 and 1961, China experienced food shortages. Yuan began to research hybrid rice in 1964, and succeeded in cultivating the world's first high-yield hybrid strain in 1973. His research has been used all over the country since the mid-1970s, and has led to national rice yields increasing greatly.

In addition to being a scientist, Yuan also loved music and played the violin.

According to Zhao Cong, a veteran pipa (Chinese lute) player and president of the China National Traditional Orchestra, the concert is divided into seven chapters, telling the story of Yuan and paying tribute to his achievements and contributions to the country.

The concert will also feature musical elements from Hunan province, including ethnic Miao and Dong folk songs.