Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou, December 14th Question: you are not working, you are working hard! — — Wang Yicheng, a researcher at Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Xinhua News Agency reporters Fang Wenyu, Wei Yijun and Tang Tao.
On September 15th, Hall 1 of Hangzhou Funeral Home was solemn and silent. Among the endless stream of mourners, there are many pig farmers who have come from Wenling and Shangyu, and there are uncontrollable sobs from time to time in the team.
The person who made them cry was Wang Yicheng, a researcher at Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences. At 10 o’clock on the morning of September 12, Wang Yicheng died of illness in Hangzhou at the age of 60.
Wang Yicheng, what kind of existence is it?
In the 1980s and 1990s, he went abroad to study twice. Faced with the generous promise of overseas retention, why did he resolutely return to China?
Engaged in basic scientific research for nearly 20 years, why did he choose to move to the front line of production and deal with sick pigs?
How can such an excellent example be known only after its death?
With these questions, we approach Wang Yicheng’s ordinary and touching life.
Wang Yicheng (former) led the students to inspect the grass-roots pig farms (photo, taken in August 2013). Xinhua news agency
He is an "old returnee" who has been engaged in basic scientific research for nearly 20 years, but he chose to go out of the laboratory and go to the "main battlefield of production" — —
On the night of December 31, 1999, at the intersection of two millenniums, people on earth were jubilant.
Facing the bright fireworks, Wang Yicheng hurried to a sick pig farm in Xiasha, Hangzhou. Diagnosis, isolation, disinfection and transshipment, the on-site "general commander" who was on the verge of death was busy until two o’clock in the morning the next day.
At this moment, parents, lovers and sons who are looking forward to it at home have mixed feelings: this Millennium Eve is still Wang Yicheng’s first birthday after studying abroad.
This is also a turning point in Wang Yicheng’s 35-year scientific research career.
After graduating from Zhejiang Agricultural University in 1982, Wang Acheng came to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Research Institute of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences. In the first half of his scientific research career, he engaged in basic research on the prevention and control technology of parasitic diseases and infectious diseases in livestock and poultry.
Xu Ziwei, former vice president of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is Wang Yicheng’s old leader and has worked together for 30 years. When he first met Wang Yicheng in 1987, he was impressed as a "fashionable young man" with a broad vision. He not only made innovations in scientific research, but also learned foreign languages, driving and computers.
In 1980s and 1990s, Wang Yicheng studied in Melbourne University, Australia and Arkansas Medical University, USA, and his research results such as "Study on RNA Transcription Mechanism of Coronavirus" were published twice in top international virology journals.
At that time, domestic animal molecular biology research had just started, and the technology brought back by Wang Yicheng’s study abroad played a leading role. He is also the founder and leader of animal molecular biology in Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
At the end of 1990s, large-scale pig breeding in Zhejiang Province developed rapidly, and the prevention and treatment of pig diseases became the top priority affecting the industrial development. However, there was a shortage of clinical diagnosis talents for pig diseases in the first line of production.
Considering the first-line situation of animal husbandry in Zhejiang, Wang Yicheng, who has been engaged in basic scientific research for a long time, decided to go out of the laboratory and go to the "main battlefield of production".
Everyone in the scientific research circle knows that doing basic research has a better chance to publish articles and become famous more easily.
"This was requested by Wang Yicheng on his own initiative. He didn’t consider his personal gains and losses at all." Bao Guolian, director of the Animal Husbandry Institute of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said.
As a result, Wang Yicheng picked up the "scalpel" and never put it down.
He told the students that basic research can be focused by national scientific research institutes and institutions of higher learning, and local agricultural academies are more suitable for serving production and grassroots. Everyone does basic research. What about farmers who don’t know technology?
In the second half of his career, Wang Yicheng spent most of his time in pig farms and laboratories.
In the past 20 years, Wang Yicheng has served more than 1,000 large-scale farms in Zhejiang Province, dissected tens of thousands of dead pigs with his own hands, tested more than 50,000 specimens (times) and detected 400,000 serum antibodies (times), which has repeatedly curbed the spread of animal diseases that may cause major epidemics.
Wang Yicheng, who has been grounded all the year round and connected with production, finally became a "master" and became recognized as "the first person to prevent and treat pig diseases in Zhejiang".
He is a "living map" of Zhejiang pig farms and a "database" of pig disease epidemic prevention experiments. He applied advanced foreign genetic engineering vaccines to prevent and treat pig diseases and made important breakthroughs in genetic engineering vaccines against pig Escherichia coli and recombinant pig interferon. He presided over 20 major and key projects in Zhejiang Province, published more than 100 papers and won 9 provincial and ministerial awards.
The bookcase in Wang Yicheng’s office is full of books related to pig disease, but there is also a thick Clinical Diagnosis of Sheep Disease.
How does "pig doctor" study sheep disease? It turns out that with the transformation and upgrading of Zhejiang’s aquaculture industry, many sheep farmers in Zhejiang have also found Wang Yicheng in recent years. So he began to learn to treat sheep.
Wang Yicheng (second from right) explains the experiment of interferon fermentation to students at the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (photo, taken in May 2012). Xinhua news agency
He is a gentle scholar who loves life, but he plunged into the pile of dead pigs and became the "patron saint" of pig farmers — —
In the hearts of farmers in Zhejiang, Mr. Wang is as kind to them as a mountain.
Ruan Zhangfeng, a pig farmer in Shangyu, burst into tears: In the end, I still can’t repay Teacher Wang.
In 2004, Ruan Zhangfeng’s father died suddenly. In his twenties, he took over the farm and more than 6 million yuan in bank debt unprepared. To make matters worse, there was an epidemic in the farm that year, and more pigs died every day than were sold.
Almost desperate, Wang Yicheng, a stranger, gave a helping hand. At that time, Wang Yicheng came to see a doctor every week. In the end, the fledgling Ruan Zhangfeng survived, and now his farm has more than 20,000 pigs, with an annual output value of more than 60 million yuan.
"For more than 10 years, he has never charged me a penny for medical treatment, and even a decent meal has not been eaten here." Ruan Zhangfeng said that every time Mr. Wang comes, he avoids meals. If he happens to catch up, he will come back after eating in the expressway service area and go straight to the pig farm.
Your elegant smile is still clear in your mind, and your elegant comment on farmers … … In an interview, Li Haihong, deputy director of Haiyan Animal Husbandry Bureau, couldn’t stop crying. She said that grassroots farmers like Mr. Wang because he is the most useful at the grassroots level.
According to the interviewees, Wang Yicheng is almost an "iron man" and "perfect man".
Colleagues said that Wang Yicheng went to work first and left last every day for more than ten years. The students said that Mr. Wang is hands-on and meticulous; Farmers said that as long as there are difficulties, Mr. Wang is responsive and rain or shine.
One summer day in 2014, Wang Yicheng fell asleep in a chair in the laboratory. "Iron Man" can’t hold it anymore? Surprised, colleague Yuan Xiufang quietly took the door of the laboratory.
What Yuan Xiufang didn’t know was that Wang Yicheng’s body had been overloaded for four months: because his 90-year-old father was seriously ill, he stayed in the hospital for more than four months and worked as usual during the day. Just the day before, he drove to Jiangshan city, nearly 300 kilometers away, to deal with the epidemic, dissected 10 dead pigs, and drove back to Hangzhou that day to continue to accompany the night.
On another occasion, Wang Yicheng drove to a pig farm in Xiaoshan after work. When he got home late at night, his clothes were all wet. It turned out that because it was raining hard, Wang Yicheng mistook the pond for the road and drove into the pond.
In the face of his crying lover, Wang Yicheng ignored him and said that it would be good to send the car for maintenance … …
The old mother once complained: Why are you so busy every day? You are not working, you are working hard! Wang Yicheng replied that if you want to make achievements in scientific research, you must fight like this.
In fact, Wang Yicheng, who devoted himself to his work and dealt with sick pigs for more than ten years, was once a refined and decent scholar who loved life.
During his study abroad, Wang Yicheng took many photos. Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Zoo, endless highways, street band … … On the back of the photo, he recorded the time and place in English. Italic English is as elegant as the person in the photo.
Wang Yicheng’s lover said that it’s not that there are no good shirts at home, but he thinks that the pig farmers will have a sense of distance from him, and they will get used to ordinary clothes over time. Although life is very simple, he has always enjoyed such simplicity.
"Behind many farms is the hope and future of a family, and a pig is probably the living expenses of a family for one year … …” When Wang Yicheng was seriously ill in hospital and said goodbye to his body, his lover had a deeper understanding of this sentence through contact with farmers.
This is a research note written by Wang Yicheng before his death (photo taken on December 11th). Xinhua News Agency reporter Weng Yushe
He is the most hidden model, hiding his merits and fame, and willing to be a "behind-the-scenes hero" — —
For decades, Wang Yicheng has been "private car for public use", driving more than 600,000 kilometers, and never reimbursing tolls and gasoline fees; Serving farmers, he personally worked overtime and was dusty, but insisted on free visits; He insisted on taking only the average when distributing bonuses within the research group.
Based on the achievement of "research on the transcription mechanism of coronavirus RNA", Wang Yicheng had no problem getting a doctorate, but he said, "What do I need that for?"
Bao Guolian said that Wang Yicheng was not only indifferent to fame and fortune, but also passed on his technology and experience to his peers to apply this technology to the detection of diseases such as poultry, rabbits and cattle. Every week, he has a regular meeting with the research team in the laboratory to spread molecular biology technology and make the team and academic ideas succeed.
After decades of hard work and innovation, Wang Yicheng, such an excellent typical figure, was not known until he died.
As an old leader, Xu Ziwei also feels guilty.
In fact, Wang Yicheng is an old and advanced animal husbandry institute, but every time the institute recommends him, he refuses again and again.
"When evaluating the advanced, Teacher Wang always refuses." Lv Yuli, secretary of the Party branch of the Animal Husbandry Institute of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that Wang Yicheng is a member of the jury, and it is not enough for the organization to give him a comment without telling him.
The unit is doing a "micro-party class", and the student Li Junxing talks about "Wang Yicheng, a good party member around him", but the photos used are all taken by Mr. Wang while doing experiments, wiping instruments and repairing equipment.
This behind-the-scenes hero wants to completely hide his fame and achievements until the end of his life.
In May 2016, one month after being diagnosed with gastric cancer, only the doctor and himself knew the condition.
In that month, he finished the final report of all the research projects, recorded the experimental data in the laboratory, explained the unfinished matters to the members of the research group, and made a follow-up plan for the farmers who have been doing technical guidance … … It was not until his illness deteriorated to the point where he could not eat that he took time off from work to inform his family.
On August 28 this year, Tang Yong, secretary of the Party Committee of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, visited the hospital. One thing told by Wang Yicheng’s lover made him burst into tears: Wang Yicheng actually begged his wife to open a death certificate in the hospital because he was worried that many people would visit after surgery and affect his work.
This is the work photo of Wang Yicheng in the office of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Research Institute of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (data photo, taken in June 2012). Xinhua news agency
He is a pure scientific and technological worker, full of childlike heart, and interprets the feelings of home and country with his life — —
In the late 1990s, Arkansas Medical College wanted Wang Yicheng to stay in the United States and applied for a three-year visa for his family to stay.
"We are also worried that he won’t come back, but others are still in the United States, so I asked my lover to take a message: keep your post until I come back." Xu Ziwei recalled.
"I remember when I visited relatives in the United States, I asked if you ever wavered, because the laboratory conditions in the United States were super good at that time. You said: From a personal point of view, the United States is the top of biotechnology, and the laboratory conditions are good and the starting point is high, so it is easy to produce results. But I always think that I am Chinese, and the biotechnology in our country was far from the United States at that time. As a scientific and technological worker trained by the state, I was very anxious. " Wang Yicheng’s lover recalled this conversation with her husband.
In 1999, without any conditions, Wang Yicheng returned to China and quietly returned to the laboratory. In May, 2000, it became party member prepared by the Chinese Communist Party.
Wang Yicheng’s lover recalled that after returning to China, Wang Yicheng built a first-class laboratory of Animal Husbandry Institute of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences with the least money. After many days and nights, Wang Yicheng excitedly reported: I have done experiments in our own laboratory that can only be done in the United States.
What is the weight of party member’s identity in Wang Yicheng’s heart? Li Junxing said that during his illness, Mr. Wang entrusted his students to pay party dues. When the students come to visit, Wang Yicheng will also ask if he has paid the party dues.
"He is a returnee. He could have stayed abroad, lived a rich and comfortable life with luxury cars and luxurious clothes, but he chose to return to China because of the lack of animal husbandry talents in Zhejiang; He could have engaged in basic research, written papers, published monographs and become a master, but he chose the first line because pig farmers needed him; He can also choose to get rich first by going to the acupuncture point to get a red envelope, taking a part-time job as a consultant, and taking a drug rebate for a visit, but he does not want to defile Gao Jie’s soul and does not ask for it. "
Tang Yong said that Wang Yicheng regards the needs of the motherland, his career and the needs of the people as his own needs. His belief is rock-solid, his career is more important than life, his service is above everything else, and his fame and fortune are as light as water.
Xu Ruhai, director of the Pig Breeding Office of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that Wang Yicheng is worthy of the title of intellectual. He has pride and set an example for intellectuals.
