Saving the golden orchid
Scientist revels in growing rare, once-endangered species in the lab and replanting it in the wild, Li Yingxue reports.
Sharing knowledge
Beyond his research, Yang spends much of his time in the fields, traveling year-round through villages and farmlands. He doesn't just study orchids, he also helps farmers solve real problems in agricultural production.
From teaching how to plant on sloped terrain to helping calculate economic returns, Yang shares everything he knows, including his specialized knowledge of orchid cultivation. Over the years, he has helped generations of farmers increase their incomes, dedicating himself to rural revitalization through science.
As head of a support team for economic crops in Nanchang's Wanli district, Yang worked closely with 16 local companies and households to understand their needs.
In Luoting Town, he helped farmers adjust their crop structure: recommending greenhouse watermelon and strawberries, and teaching them how to manage temperature, humidity, and pests. His advice helped increase both yields and profits.
Xia Bin, dean of the School of Life Sciences at Nanchang University and Yang's colleague for more than 30 years, says that despite Yang's many accolades — national model worker, national model teacher, and national science popularization pioneer — colleagues jokingly call him the "farmer professor".
