CAE President Zhou Ji, who came to attend the Fifth China Engineering Management Forum in Hunan Province, paid his visit to CAE Members Yuan Longping on May 22, 2011, accompanied by leadership with Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department. Zhou also inspected the National Hybrid Rice Engineering Technology Research Center and held a discussion meeting with officials and experts from Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences. 

At 11 a.m., President Zhou Ji, along with his companions, arrived at the National Hybrid Rice Engineering Technology Research Center located at the outskirts of Changsha city, who sent his greetings to CAE Member Yuan Longping. Yuan then gave a briefing about the overall situation of the development and progress of studies conducted on hybrid rice, and top leaders of Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences introduced major scientific and technological innovations carried out by their Academy as well as the Research Center. 

Yuan said that, the objective for the second phase of super hybrid rice, which is 800 kg per mu (mu: Chinese unit of area, 1 mu=1/15 hectare) had been achieved one year in advance in 2004, whose plantation then was promoted starting 2006, with the planted area reaching more than 5 million mu in 2010 with an average yield around 600 kg per mu, over 50 kg per mu more than the first phase of super hybrid rice. And currently, the third phase of super hybrid rice breeding research was being conducted, with a desired yield of 900 kg per mu for large-scale demonstration, which, again, is expected to be achieved one to two years ahead of schedule. Yuan joked by saying that he is one of the “80s” (originally referred to people who were born in the 1980s) after he went on to 80 years old, claiming that he is still in very good health, hoping to realize the per mu yield of 1000 kg for large-scale demonstration when he is 90 years old. 

Zhou spoke highly of Yuan, saying that he is like a banner in China’s engineering science and technology world, whose outstanding achievements as well as scientific spirit are worth genuine respect and more publicity, encouraging more people to learn from him. Zhou also fully affirmed goals set for the fourth phase of super hybrid rice as well as the “yield of three mu of super hybrid rice equals to that of four mu of ordinary rice” production-increasing project. In addition, Zhou expressed his hope that CAE should further strengthen collaboration with Hunan Province, making joint efforts for hybrid rice development and food security in China and the world. In the end, Yuan presented a book entitled “Dictated Autobiography of Yuan Longping” to Zhou, who then extended his gratefulness and once again, wished Yuan health and happiness. (By Zhou Bin and Pen Zisheng, June 2011; translated by Liu Chang)