Plants for life

1 Nature presents us with endless wonders. Most people get interested and ask questions. But one person took his interest all the way to the fields. He was born in the flowering season of early summer, and made plants his life. This person was Wang Wencai. 

2 For over 70 years, Professor Wang explored China’s plants with great passion and hard work. He discovered and named about 1,370 new plant species. To carry out his research, he spent years in wild mountains and forests. Once, he fell seriously ill while doing field work in Yunnan. Though he nearly died, Wang never stopped his work. He lost sight in his right eye at the age of 83. But he didn’t let anybody know. With a magnifier in hand, he still carried on with his research for another 10 years.

3 Despite his huge success, Wang seldom thought about personal honour or wealth. Although he received the First Class Award of the National Natural Science Award twice, he hardly mentioned it. For him, the award belonged to the team, and he was just doing his job. In fact, Wang was always quiet about his achievements. He was such a great scientist. But for a long time, even his granddaughter had no idea. 

4 Plants grow and sleep with the seasons. So did Professor Wang. He passed away at the age of 96 with the falling leaves of autumn. When people came to say goodbye, they didn’t hear any sad notes. Instead, they got to listen to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. This was Wang’s favourite piece of music. It softly told people about his lifelong exploration and love of nature.