Sheng Luan

What inspired your interest in plant science?I grew up in small farming communities in northern China.In the 1960s and 1970s, I witnessed the hardship of farmers who relied on primitive toolswooden plows pulled by cattle or mules, and manual harvesting with sickles and spades.Farming practices had changed little for centuries, and productivity remained painfully low.My school years overlapped with the 'Cultural Revolution' when schools were disrupted, and students often worked in the fields.I spent much of my time helping farmers and enjoyed gathering leftover peanuts and sweet potatoes after harvest.These experiences made me appreciate the farmers' resilience and sparked a question that stayed with me: is there a way to improve their lives?When college entrance examinations were reinstated after the Cultural Revolution, I was a first-year high school student and was selected to take the examinations for practice, but I unexpectedly scored high enough to enter an agricultural college.My decision to study agriculture stemmed from both this opportunity and my early desire to help farmers through science.College life was difficult at the time in China, with few textbooks or resources, but these challenges strengthened my resolve.I came to see plant science not only as a fascinating field of study but also as a means to make farming more productive and sustainablean essential step toward improving the lives of farmers, fulfilling my early childhood dream.