China lost two top scientist in just one day Last Saturday, Yuan Longping, China's "Father of Hybrid Rice (杂交水稻)", and Wu Mengchao, the "Father of Chinese Hepatobiliary Surgery (肝胆外科)", passed away (去世). Yuan was 91 old and Wu was 99 years old. The news left Chinese people very sad.
Yuan Longping was known as the "Father of Hybrid Rice" He studied rice for his entire life (毕生) In the 1970s, he developed a hybrid strain (品种) of rice. It could feed 70 millions more people a year. Today, about 20 per cent of the world's rice comes from hybrid rice. Yuan said he once had a dream. In his dream, his hybrid rice plant was taller than men. He sat under it to enjoy the cool of its shade.
Wu Mengchao was the founder of hepatobiliary surgery in China. For a time, the success rate (成功率) of hepatic surgery was only 16 per cent Wu raised it to over 98 per cent! He saved many people's lives. Even into his 90s, he was still working at the operating table (手术台).
These two top scientists have left us. But you can find them in the sky They each have a planet which has been named after them. They are the brightest stars in our hearts.