Yuan Longping appraises rice in an experimental plot of super hybrid rice in Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province, Oct. 9, 2003. (Photo: Xinhua)

"Whenever the wind blows through rice fields, we are reminded of your appearance," Chinese netizens paid tribute to the deceased Chinese scientist Yuan Longping on Wednesday, known as the "father of hybrid rice" who passed away three years ago on May 22, 2021.

Yuan, died of organ failure at 91, renowned for developing the first hybrid rice strain with a lifelong dream to free everyone from hunger.

"I have always had two dreams: the first dream is to pursue high yield and higher yield of rice; the second dream is having hybrid rice planted throughout the globe. I have always worked hard to make my dream come true, and I hope to encourage you to realize these two dreams together with me," Yuan said.

People placed flowers and a bowl of rice in front of Yuan's tombstone, with a card saying "we all had a good meal, and every grain of rice was not spared," according to media reports on Wednesday.

"Time flies, it's already been three years. I will always remember you," netizens commented on the Chinese X-like Sina Weibo on Wednesday in memory of Yuan. Some of them also called on the public to limit waste and cherish a good life.

Yuan was assigned to Hunan Anjiang Agricultural School in Huaihua in 1953. The turning point came when Yuan accidentally found a natural hybrid rice plant when selecting seeds in an experimental field in 1961, and he then became involved in hybrid rice research. In 2019, Yuan was awarded the Medal of the Republic, China's highest state honor.

Yuan's team also helped Madagascar increase grain production by providing field training to local farmers, which led to the Madagascan people achieving grain self-sufficiency through hybrid rice cultivation. India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the US, Brazil and other countries also grow hybrid rice on a large scale currently.

Three years ago, China also lost top hepatobiliary surgeon Wu Mengchao, known as the "father of Chinese hepatobiliary surgery." As an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he had established a unique system of liver surgery in China and devoted himself to saving people's lives for nearly eight decades. He continued working into his 90s, seeing patients and performing operations, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Wu once compared himself to a warrior, "As long as I live one day, I would fight with liver cancer one day." His right hand is bent out of shape from holding the scalpel for a long time. He had increased the success rate of liver cancer surgery in China from under 50 percent to over 90 percent. In 2005, Wu was honored with China's top science and technology award.