China News Service, Changsha, April 3rd: Feature: Frugality and Love in Yuan Longping's Tomb
Reporter Tang Xiaoqing Yang Huafeng
On April 3, in Changsha, Hunan, the weather turned cloudy and rainy.
Taking advantage of the Qingming holiday, people came to Tangren Wanshou Garden to mourn Yuan Longping, the "Father of Hybrid Rice", the winner of the "Medal of the Republic", and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Yuan Jinghui, the distant nephew of the Yuan family, is one of them.
On the third day of the third lunar month, the Chinese have the custom of eating ground vegetables and boiled eggs.
47-year-old Yuan Jinghui brought a bowl of boiled eggs to his uncle Yuan Longping and placed it in front of the tomb.
He also brought some old Yuan's relics.
"Tell those who come to cherish the memory of Yuan Lao some stories of his life." Yuan Jinghui said.
The cloth shoes worn by Academician Yuan Longping were reluctant to throw them away.
Photo by Yang Huafeng
The items brought by Yuan Jinghui included the inscription written by Academician Yuan Longping, photos, seals of books and periodicals, calligraphy art, award certificates and daily necessities such as clothes, combs and towels.
These were donated by Yuan Longping's family, former colleagues and friends, and Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center to the Jinjing Red Culture Exhibition Hall in Changsha County.
The museum was built by Yuan Jinghui over the years.
A pair of ripped black shoes and a lot of patched cotton-padded trousers are heart-wrenching.
The reporter noticed that the cloth shoes with the Shuangxi cross-stitch insoles had been worn out of shape, with two holes in the soles of each shoe.
"Cloth shoes are the favorite of Academician Yuan when he is walking. After wearing them for many years, he is reluctant to throw them away when the soles are worn out." Yuan Jinghui picked up the cotton trousers and introduced that this was what Academician Yuan wore when he was teaching at Anjiang Agricultural School and accompanied him to the fields. Do scientific research and observe the growth of rice.
There are many patches on the cotton pants, and the academician was not willing to throw them away.
The cloth shoes worn by Academician Yuan Longping.
Photo by Tang Xiaoqing
Anyone who has come into contact with Mr. Yuan knows that he and his wife Deng Ze live frugally and dress plainly.
"Before his death, he was very simple. He wore a 15-yuan shirt. There was never any food left at home. He bought his combs and mirrors at the dollar store, and the sofa would not be changed if it broke. Renminbi), a very low-key person.”
"This photo is of the academician picking out the seeds of a single ear of rice. He often tells young people that people are like seeds and should be a good seed." Yuan Jinghui said.
The cotton trousers worn by Academician Yuan Longping when he taught at Anjiang Agricultural School were changed to a fire quilt.
Photo by Yang Huafeng
A plaid shirt, a small yellow plastic comb, a yellowed towel, an old-fashioned china cup, a fruit knife, and a blue plaid tie.
Seeing these relics, people can't help but have a simple image of Yuan Lao in their minds.
"The plaid shirt is the most cherished by the academician during his lifetime. He wears it when he attends events, receives foreign guests, and leaves the field." Yuan Jinghui also pointed to a fruit knife that Mr. Yuan had used for many years and told reporters a story.
"This is a love story." He said that every day, Academician Yuan would sit on a chair with this fruit knife and cut apples for his wife Deng Ze to eat.
After the academician left, his wife Deng soaked the knife in warm water for preservation.
Yuan Lao and his wife Deng Ze have been in love with each other for 57 years.
His life is undoubtedly a happy one. He has "crossed" with his favorite rice, and has a lover who is willing to accompany him to the fields and live in the cowshed.
"In the past, letters were slow, cars and horses were far away, and there was only enough love for one person in one life. This sentence is the truest portrayal of the love between the academician and his wife." Yuan Jinghui said.
The shirt worn by Academician Yuan Longping.
Photo by Tang Xiaoqing
On the first Qingming Festival after Yuan Lao left, his wife Deng Ze and his younger generation also came to the cemetery, holding golden rice ears, to sacrificial memory.
The bronze statue of Academician Yuan Longping was unveiled, and Deng came to lay flowers with the help of his family.
At noon, when the reporter left the cemetery, people were still pouring in, laying flowers and remembrance at the tomb.
People brought fruits, hanging paper, and put cards full of affectionate messages into the space-time mailbox.
"I also plan to build the 'Yuan Longping Cultural Center' to carry forward Yuan Lao's down-to-earth dream-seeking spirit and the scientific spirit of pragmatism, unity and cooperation, and courageous climbing, and educate young people to love the motherland, cherish food, and revitalize China." Yuan Jinghui always remembered that Academician Yuan Longping treated him Said: "Young people should have dreams".
He said that the message he wrote was, "My nephew Yuan Jinghui will set up the exhibition hall and set up the fire." (End)