Yuan, who cultivated the world's first high-yield hybrid rice strain and saved millions from hunger, died of organ failure at the age of 90 on Saturday. Chinese social media site Weibo shut down 64 accounts that had posted content insulting Yuan. Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping, who cultivated the world's first high-yield hybrid rice strain in the 1970s, died on Saturday. In 2019, Yuan was awarded the Medal of the Republic, China's highest official honor, by Chinese President Xi Jinping . During China's Cultural Revolution, Yuan learned that the hard way when previous comments he'd made opened him up to attacks.

Source: CNN May 24, 2021 05:37 UTC