Organized by the China National Rice Research Institute and Pujiang County People’s Government, the Modern China Rice Development Seminar and the Shangshan Cup Award Ceremony for outstanding papers on the centennial development of Chinese rice were held on June 18 in Pujiang. Seventeen papers by authors from all over the country won the award and concluded that rice, one of the three main staple food grains in the world, originated in China.

The event saw the participation of national experts of various fields, including paddy field cultivation, archaeology, and entrepreneurship. Among those who participated were Hu Peisong, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the China National Rice Research Institute, Zhang Hongcheng, member of the CAE and professor at Yangzhou University, and local leaders. Research shows that modern rice breeding in China started in the 1920s and has been going on for a hundred years.

Hu Peisong said that over the past 100 years, China’s rice production has developed rapidly, ensuring national food security and people’s well-being. China’s rice yield has so far reached 470 kg/mu, 2.7 times higher than the 126 kg/mu at the founding of the PRC.

Zhang Hongcheng, together with Cheng Shihua, Director of the Chinese National Center for Rice Improvement; Yang Yuanzhu, vice president of Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Co., Ltd.; and Zheng Yunfei, researcher of Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, delivered relevant academic reports.

Following the selection of 57 papers on the theme “100 years of evolution: Rice paddy, from mere food to nutriment foundation” collected by CNRRI last October, the jury of the event selected 17 outstanding papers.

The seminar on rice in modern China was held at the location of the millenary Shangshan culture, and was appreciated by the authorities in Pujiang. Dai Chong, Pujiang mayor, said that more than 20 years ago, a grain of carbonized rice buried deep in the soil and pieces of pottery mixed with rice husk unveiled the significance of the millenary Shangshan site in Pujiang. The importance of the seminar lies exactly in its function to better preserve and value the heritage of rice civilization, both looking back on the history of rice and exploring the future of rice cultivation.

After the seminar, participants also visited the Shangshan Site Museum to experience the millenary Shangshan culture. (By Zhou Xuan, translated by Marco Lovisetto, edited by Mariam Ayad)