An academician in plant viruses builds Baizhen Town to fulfill my aspiration
Original title: Academician Chen Jianping: A straw cloak in mist and rain for a lifetime
Academician Chen Jianping (image from the internet)
San Nong Zhi Tong Che comprehensive report: In the late 1980s, Chen Jianping, a researcher at the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, while on a study visit at the Rothamsted Experimental Station in the UK, discovered barley and mild mosaic virus within Polymyxa graminis for the first time, thereby revealing direct evidence of fungal transmission of plant viruses, hailed by the international academic community as one of the major breakthroughs in this field in 30 years.
In 2011, after Chen Jianping was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, he not only continued research on the occurrence patterns and green prevention and control of plant viruses, but also explored and practiced at the macro agricultural strategy level to address the shortcomings in China's development of agriculture, rural areas and farmers. Over more than 30 years of a scientific career, "a straw cloak in mist and rain for a lifetime," what has remained unchanged for Academician Chen Jianping is his true nature as a servant of agriculture, as well as his pursuit of science and his sense of mission and responsibility.
30 years of major breakthroughs and one decision to return home
In June 1989, Chen Jianping came to the Rothamsted Experimental Station in the UK as a visiting scholar. He completed all his research tasks in three months, and said to his supervisor Professor Adams: "I want to study the relationship between plant viruses and fungi."
"Too difficult!" His supervisor Adams said: "My teacher worked on it for more than 10 years, and I worked on it for 17 years, and neither of us succeeded."
A newborn calf fears no tiger, and Chen Jianping persuaded Adams.
"I photographed the virus, I succeeded!" One day, Chen Jianping rushed into Adams's office with the photo. Hearing Chen Jianping's exclamation, Adams did not turn his head, holding a pencil in his right hand, slowly combing his hair, and said: "If you think they are viruses, then you need to prove it..."
Fungal spores are only 5 microns in diameter. To find viruses in fungal spores, one must cut the fungal spores into ultrathin sections only 50 nanometers thick and observe them under an electron microscope. To prove the existence of the virus, over the following 9 months, Chen Jianping sliced more than 10,000 sections day and night... Looking through the microscope for long periods, Chen Jianping's eyes became swollen. Originally with 1.5 vision, from then on he became 300 degrees nearsighted and put on glasses.
A 30-year problem was finally broken through by Chen Jianping.
In the winter of 1995, Chen Jianping returned to the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences without hesitation. The only "special treatment" was that the then president Chen Chuanqun subscribed to a copy of Science and Technology Daily for him. Chen Jianping said: "At the salary level at that time, working in the UK for one year would earn me most of a lifetime's salary in China, but what a person pursues is not only economic treatment." Chen Jianping had no regrets.
In the 20 years since Chen Jianping returned to China, he has trained more than 50 doctoral and master's students. The innovation team in a national key research field that he leads, with world-class innovative achievements, stands at the world's commanding height in the field of plant virus research:
Revealed the occurrence patterns and pathogenic mechanisms of 5 important rice and wheat viruses, and the established green disease prevention and control technology has been widely promoted and applied in diseased areas across the country; established a large number of advanced detection technologies, identified dozens of new plant disease pathogens, intercepted thousands of batches of invasive alien plant pathogens, and developed core technologies for China's plant disease quarantine and inspection work; established industrialized technology for virus-free tissue culture and rapid propagation of more than 500 species of flowers and Chinese medicinal materials, developed 25 new flower tissue culture seedling products, exported millions of high-quality flower tissue culture seedlings to European and American markets every year, and promoted the healthy development of China's horticultural plant tissue culture seedling industry; in research on fungus-transmitted wheat and barley viruses, from 1996 to 2005, the number of SCI papers they published accounted for 28% of the world's total, and from 2006 to 2015, this proportion rose to more than 60%; won 1 National Science and Technology Progress Award, 4 second prizes, and 9 first prizes for science and technology progress at the ministry and provincial levels...
Chen Jianping's achievements have earned him worldwide respect. In 2012, Chen Jianping led a delegation to revisit Scotland, and the research institute specially raised the five-star red flag for him. On the "Discovery," a scientific research ship built more than a hundred years ago, a grand and luxurious reception dinner was held in his honor.
60 million left-behind children and an academician's new mission
One day in 2012, Chen Jianping went to Chun'an, Zhejiang, for poverty alleviation. In a farmer's home, he asked a little girl: "What do you want most?" The little girl did not raise her head: "For the hickory nuts to ripen." Chen Jianping asked again: "You like eating hickory nuts?" The little girl said: "I don't want to eat them at all, because when the hickory nuts ripen, my parents can come home."
"Hearing this, I thought of the 370 million farmers working away from home across the country, and the 60 million left-behind children at home missing their parents. It was this little girl who inspired me to take on greater social responsibility and historical mission." Chen Jianping said, what I originally thought was from "I" to "T," doing one thing well in a lifetime. "I" means "me," doing my own scientific research well, and then turning into "T" (Team), leading the team well. Chen Jianping said that now in the rest of his life he wants to do two things, and also to explore and solve the shortcomings in China's rural development.
After several years of devoted research, he proposed the strategic idea of "agricultural complex - a new carrier for regional modern agricultural development." Using systematic thinking, through systematic integration in aspects such as diversified industrial integration, cultivation of business entities, quality and safety control, scientific and technological support and leadership, Internet Plus circulation, investment and financing promotion, and innovation in policies on agriculture, rural areas and farmers, he studied a combined approach to solving the issues of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and has been invited to more than ten provinces and cities to give special reports on the exploration and practice of agricultural complexes.
In recent years, he has also joined hands with Hangzhou Bluetown and Greentown Group to carry out exploration and practice of agricultural complexes, building agricultural towns in pilot areas such as Fenghua, Shengzhou, and Yuhang in Zhejiang, with plans to build 100 ideal agricultural towns through more than ten years of effort, so as to influence and promote the construction of tens of thousands of agricultural towns across the country. Chen Jianping said affectionately that by then, the production, life and livelihoods of 200 to 300 million farmers in China will be greatly improved.
A straw cloak means being for agriculture; letting mist and rain accompany one's life means that the spirit of scientific research is passed down through the years, and only then can one achieve a career. "A straw cloak in mist and rain for a lifetime," Chen Jianping said: "This is my motto..." (Our reporter Huan Jianxin)
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