Chapter 42 The Manifesto of a Peasant Scientist on April 1——Record of Li Denghai, the Second National Moral Model

When it comes to the "South Yuan and North Li" in the seed industry, people have long been familiar with it. On November 8, 2005, the 12th Annual Conference of Asia Pacific Seed Association was grandly held in Shanghai. Li Denghai won the "Major Contribution Award to China's Corn Industry" at the conference. Li Denghai, the "Father of China's Compact Corn" who was born as a farmer, and Yuan Longping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who is known as the "Father of China's Hybrid Rice", stood side by side on the highest podium in the world's seed industry.

"South Yuan Bei Li" got its name from this. With his own scientific and technological innovations, Li Denghai enabled my country to possess the core agricultural technology of corn breeding, took the lead in realizing the industrialization of seeds, and made a significant contribution to increasing my country's grain production and ensuring food security. His corn accounted for 43.5% of China's corn acreage in the year of maximum promotion. In 2009, Li Denghai was elected "National Moral Model" with high votes, and won the special prize of the 4th China "Invention and Entrepreneurship Award" and the title of "Contemporary Inventor".

This legendary "Bei Li" was originally just an ordinary farmer working in the farmland. Why did he become a giant who revitalized the national seed industry from a farmer, from an agricultural technician to a scientist with outstanding contributions, and from an ordinary man? of the Communist Party members became representatives of the National People's Congress, from a captain of the agricultural department to a member of the expert advisory group of the Ministry of Agriculture, from a rural youth to the vice chairman of the All-China Youth Federation, from a farmer to a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, from being poor to owning more than one billion yuan in assets The chairman of the listed company, from a junior high school student to a professor and doctoral supervisor in many agricultural colleges...

What is the spirit that supports Li Denghai's dedication to the seed cause?He must have paid a hard price on this road! Li Denghai has walked this road for thirty-eight years. For Li Denghai, these thirty-eight years have indeed been a arduous and long journey to start a business. Li Denghai is the same age of the Republic, born in Houdeng Village, Xiyou Town, Laizhou City, Shandong Province. Li Denghai's original name was Li Wan, but his father later changed his name to Li Denghai in the hope that he could make a living at sea when he grew up. For Li Denghai, the most unforgettable childhood memory is: hunger.

In 1958, all the pots at home were used to make steel, and the commune issued food stamps to eat in the cafeteria.But the food stamps are rarely issued, and there are often ups and downs, and my stomach always feels empty. Once, there were only 2 taels of food stamps left in the family, and the cafeteria made four taels of Wowotou, and only half of the 2 taels of food stamps were bought.Holding the warm cornbread, the hungry Li Denghai really wanted to swallow it in one gulp, but he didn't. He staggered out of the cafeteria, broke off half of the steamed bun and gave it to his mother who was waiting there.

When he turned around, he suddenly saw his neighbor Deng Shousheng staring longingly at the bun in his hand. His eyes were wide open due to hunger, and his mouth was still drooling.Li Denghai was taken aback for a moment, and finally gave him the bun without hesitation. The mother felt sorry for her son, so she stuffed the buns in her hand to him. Li Denghai waved his hands and said, "Mom, you can eat, I'm not hungry, really." Li Denghai was hungry at noon and had nothing to eat at night. On this day, when his mother came back from the field, Li Denghai said with a sad face, "Mother, I made porridge, but somehow it couldn't make it thick."

The mother's eyes turned red immediately, and she choked up and said, "Wan'er, you have grown up and know that you can help mother with work, mother is so happy." He opened the lid of the pot and smiled, "Silly boy, you made a mistake in haste. This is bean noodles. How can it be thickened?" As he said that, he hurried to the yard, grabbed a handful of leaves, chopped them up and threw them into the pot, then smiled and said, "Come on, look, it's thick now!" When I was eating, the porridge was so spicy that I couldn't swallow it for some reason. It turned out that when my mother was chopping the leaves, she chopped some peppers by mistake.Even if tears flowed from the spicy food, no one was willing to throw it away, because it was the only food in the family.

In 1960, the family was really at the end of its rope. There was nothing to eat. Even bark, wild vegetables, aquatic plants, corn cobs, and sweet potato vines became things to fill our stomachs. Hug some leaves, and hit them with a pole if you can't hug them. My mother is a woman with small feet, so she can't do anything else but go around the pots, mills, and mills. Li Denghai often helps his mother to grind for the team.Sometimes I can't stand the hunger, so I just grab a few grains and stuff them in my mouth. In Li Denghai's memory, the taste of corn is so sweet! At that time, being able to drink a bowl of cornmeal porridge was simply a luxury.

In 1962, Li Denghai dried sweet potatoes on the river bed for the production team.He accidentally found a mouse nest with some corn in it. Li Denghai was overjoyed and hurriedly dug out the corn and took it home. In those days, people were often starved to death.Grandma and grandpa lived in the neighboring village, and grandma died prematurely because of hunger. This touched Li Denghai a lot, and a simple belief rose in his heart: When I grow up, I must let the villagers eat. In the summer of 1966, Li Denghai, who graduated from junior high school, returned to the village and lived a life of "facing the loess with his back to the sky" and became a real farmer.

At that time, the country began to pay attention to food production.There has been an upsurge of learning from Dazhai all over the country. In 1972, the agricultural science team was established in the village. Li Denghai liked to study agricultural technology very much, so he was naturally selected into the team. Due to his outstanding performance, he became the captain. Mao Lihua, the current vice chairman of Denghai Seed Industry, is the national March 8 red flag bearer and an influential female expert in the field of breeding in my country. She was selected by the village to join the agricultural science team after graduating from high school in 1976. At that time, Li Denghai was not only the captain, He is also a member of the village branch.

When mentioning the difficult breeding conditions back then, Mao Lihua had a lot to say: "At that time, in order to support the agricultural science team, the village gave us a barn. At that time, Dongjian also raised two horses. I remember that we were next to the two horses when we discussed technological innovation." She went on to say: "Although the conditions are so difficult, everyone is still very excited. We dug an earthen greenhouse by ourselves next to the house, and everyone was very happy. Unexpectedly, the mice got in and ate up the newly unearthed corn seedlings." , When we saw that scene the next day, everyone cried. Such a long effort was in vain!" In the spring of this year, Mr. Fang Zheng, an expert in wheat breeding, brought an investigation report, which was written by Chinese agricultural experts after their inspection trip to the United States in 1970.The report introduced the situation of corn breeding in the United States, and especially introduced the Pioneer Seed Company in the United States, which is specialized in the hybrid corn industry. More than 2500 catties. This report touched Li Denghai a lot.The farm corn varieties they planted at that time, such as "Ermaya" and "Xiaolihong", generally produced about two to three hundred catties, but the highest yield in the United States was 8 to 10 times that of ours! This 23-year-old young man couldn't sit still. He clearly remembered what Comrade Mao Zedong said: The Chinese nation has the courage to fight to the end with its enemies, the determination to restore old things on the basis of self-reliance, and the determination to stand on its own feet among the nations of the world. Lin's abilities. Li Denghai believes that what American farmers can do, we Chinese farmers must be able to do it, and we will surpass them. Since then, Li Denghai has been determined to work hard and strive hard.His thinking has a new direction. His scientific research on the land is not only for food, but also to be a farmer-scientist and contribute to the increase of China's grain production. At the same time, he is also very clear that the increase in grain production cannot be done in vain, and must start with agricultural research. He often thinks repeatedly: Our output is low, where is the problem?Is it because our soil is not good, the seeds are not good, or are we not doing our best? After repeated demonstrations, Li Denghai finally concluded that the failure of corn yields was due to these three aspects: poor soil fertility, lack of high-yielding corn hybrids, and lack of scientific management techniques. Aiming at the poor fertility of the land, when organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers were scarce, Li Denghai led everyone to do everything possible to find sources of fertilizers, such as digging out toilets, heating kangs, digging donkey feet, accumulating soil and miscellaneous fertilizers... when potash fertilizers cannot be bought Under such circumstances, everyone carries plant ash from home every day to supplement potassium fertilizer. In order to increase the yield of corn, Li Denghai has also put a lot of effort in management, from sowing to harvesting, every link is personally done, and strives to be scientific and advanced. Corn has tassels and ears.There are thousands of tassels in an acre of land, and usually there are 30 million pollen grains in one plant, and the pollination of the female ears does not take that much. Not only that, but the tassels also absorb a lot of nutrients, which affects the growth of the female ears. Li Denghai used the method of removing part of the tassels, and the effect was very good.In this way, the ear reaches a large grain weight, the insect damage is reduced, the plant height is reduced, and the lodging resistance of the corn is also enhanced to a certain extent. Li Denghai collected the best corn seeds in the country at that time. It took 8 years to conduct research on more than 140 high-yield fields. He found that the yield of most varieties could not even reach 600 catties per mu, and it was impossible to exceed the yield of 700 kg per mu. At that time, the flat-type hybrid corns were all grown. The flat-type leaves showed a flat shape, which was not obvious when the planting was sparse. However, if the yield is to be pursued, the planting density must be increased. When it increases to 4000 per mu When there are more than one plant, it shows its defects: the leaves shade each other, the ventilation and light transmission are poor, the plants become thinner and taller, they are not resistant to lodging, and there are serious hollow stems. After rigorous calculations, Li Denghai found that flat-type corn hybrids simply do not have the ability to yield more than 700 kilograms per mu, and no matter how hard they try, it will be futile. Can the leaves be erected, make full use of the light, and increase the sowing density? This made Li Denghai think hard. In 1974, Li Denghai was recommended by the commune to study at Laiyang Agricultural College. Here, Li Denghai is like a duck to water.Li Denghai, who was wandering in the ocean of knowledge, seemed to have wings on his dream at this moment. Here, he fully understands the truth: the era of Chinese farmers relying on the sky for food has passed, and the era of relying on science and technology to develop agriculture has come. Yu Yi, a corn breeding expert, said: "The current corn is flat. If you want to increase the yield, you have to breed compact corn with upturned leaves and suitable for dense planting." What the teacher said made Li Denghai suddenly enlightened. Mr. Liu Enxun, the national authority on corn breeding, appreciates Li Denghai's obsessive learning spirit, and also likes this good young seed who is eager to learn and make progress. Teacher Liu solemnly handed over to Li Denghai 20 grains of the hybrid corn variety "XL80" brought back from the United States. Li Denghai regarded these 20 seeds as treasures and excitedly took them home. After many tests, Li Denghai isolated more than 2,000 strains from "XL80", and selected "Ye 107" with the most ideal plant type and the highest combining ability. In the spring of 1975, the corn harvest season arrived, and everyone was confident that they could "break the record." The experts from the agricultural station also came to the field early, and they wanted to witness this "good result" in person. The yield per mu is 1024 jin!This is the best result ever, and it has more than doubled the previous output! Li Denghai was ecstatic. For the first time, he saw the power of technology and felt the joy brought by innovation. This breakthrough made Li Denghai see hope, and also strengthened his determination to catch up with the United States.He successively introduced more than 100 domestic varieties and tried many times, but he couldn't break through 1400 catties no matter what. Farmers in the past have mostly selected the best quality corn from the year's corn and planted it in the ground in the second year, and then selected the best corn seed for the next year.This repeated for six or seven years, this variety can be stabilized.But even after six or seven years, it may not necessarily be possible to cultivate good seeds. But how many six or seven years can there be in one's life?Some people may not be able to breed a good breed in their entire life. In this case, it is simply a fantasy to catch up with the United States, which has surpassed the world's advanced level. Li Denghai fell into deep thought, he couldn't wait any longer. Corn in the north can only be planted once a year. In order to speed up the breeding, Li Denghai set up a plastic greenhouse in the yard in the first month and started sowing a few months in advance. When others started sowing, he already had the first corn. Harvest.In autumn, Li Denghai ushered in his second harvest. Li Denghai was still not satisfied with the harvest twice a year. He felt that the speed of breeding was too slow. Li Denghai remembered that when he was in the Agricultural College, he heard the teacher say that autumn and winter are the best seasons for growing corn in Hainan. Yes, summer in the north, winter to the south! Li Denghai decided to do it right away. He decided to leave his hometown and go to Hainan for additional breeding. In the winter of 1978, Li Denghai and his friends took a bucket of lard and some shrimp paste on their backs and boarded the train heading south.After 8 days and 8 nights of ups and downs, they came to Lizhigou Town, 15 kilometers away from Sanya. This is a small village with only 11 families. They rented a piece of uncultivated wasteland and lived in a dilapidated thatched hut that had long been abandoned by the Li people. This dilapidated thatched hut at the foot of the mountain, without even a door panel, was their only habitat at that time. At night, I sleep on a bed made of wooden sticks. In order to prevent the buffalo from destroying the corn seedlings, I sometimes sleep in a ridge. Snakes and wild animals often appear at night. I have to cover my head with a sack and put another sack on my feet to avoid them. Infestation of mosquitoes.The food is even simpler, which is gnocchi grilled on the fire.On rainy days, the dilapidated house still leaks everywhere. Such harsh conditions are unimaginable to ordinary people. Li Denghai also optimistically named this dilapidated thatched cottage "Wind Shaking Building", and wrote a poem for the situation at that time: "The green leaves top the sky and the wind shakes the building, and the scorching sun evaporates." Roasting during the day. Mosquitoes bombarding snakes patrolling insects and birds singing, soaking in the long night is wet dew. Looking at the cloud around the five fingers from a distance, watching the coconut trees shake the long wind up close. Staying at the breeding field for one night is better than a five-star hotel." Li Denghai holds the belief of hard work and is full of passion that the word "breakthrough" comes first. In order to realize his dream, he feels that it is okay to suffer a little bit. It was under such difficult conditions that Li Denghai used "Ye 107" as the female parent to breed the compact hybrid maize "Yedan 2" in Hainan. "Yedan No. 2" grows gratifyingly and looks very beautiful, attracting seed industry experts and scholars from all over the world to visit and investigate. Li Denghai was busy introducing and explaining to everyone, and his joy was beyond words. In the past, farmers depended on the weather, and natural disasters such as drought, floods, pests, strong winds, and hail damage to crops were unavoidable and powerless.In this regard, Li Denghai, who has many years of seeding experience, has long been mentally prepared. On September 1st, Li Denghai's mood had a huge drop.Unexpected things still happened on this day. After four o'clock in the afternoon, the clear sky "changed its face" suddenly, and the wind was strong, and it soon became dark.Immediately afterwards, bean-sized hailstones scattered scattered, and soon became densely packed, falling bigger and bigger, and falling faster and faster. Hearing the sound, Li Denghai hurried out of the small thatched hut of the Agricultural Science Team. He was stunned by the scene in front of him. The raging wind and hail uprooted the big trees, and even some houses were "destroyed". He picked up a hailstone casually, and when he weighed it, it was 7.5 centimeters in length! broken!Li Denghai ran desperately to the corn field, and the large hailstones hit his head, face, and body, and he couldn't care less about the pain.When we got to the field, what we saw was a tragic scene. All the corn was folded upside down and spread flat on the ground.Li Denghai inspected and stroked each tree, and finally sat down in the ditch of the cornfield, crying loudly. A whole year of painstaking efforts, 365 days of hard work and hard work went to waste in an instant, Li Denghai felt distressed! God seems to have played a big joke with Li Denghai. 40 minutes passed, the wind died down and the weather cleared up as if nothing had happened. He returned to the office silently, picked up a newspaper, and wrote the four words "Liver cracked and heart broken". In fact, Li Denghai has seen hailstorms before, but he didn't expect that this time it would be so fast and destructive, and it caught people off guard. Li Denghai was silent for a long time, thinking a lot. The victory of high corn yield is in sight, and I have accumulated valuable experience.Years of hard work have begun to show.How can you despair! He gritted his teeth: the business of creating high corn yields must not stop, come back next year! Not only that, such natural disasters Li Denghai has experienced seven or eight times in his 38 years of high-yield research. Each devastating disaster not only failed to destroy his beliefs, but was regarded by him as a new challenge, which further inspired him to persevere. The fighting spirit to go down. Some people say that a strong-willed optimist thinks about problems with the outlook on life of "nothing is difficult in the world", and the more tragedy strikes him, the stronger he will appear. Li Denghai is such an optimist. Marx said: There is no smooth road to walk in science, only those who climb the rugged path and are not afraid of hard work can hope to reach the culmination of glory. Li Denghai likes this inspirational quote the most, and takes it as his motto. Every New Year’s Eve, he will copy this sentence seriously in his notebook, and when he encounters setbacks, he will take it out and ponder it over and over again. You can always realize something in this sentence, and find the belief to stick to it. Flowing water can only release its vitality when it encounters conflicts. In 1979, because of the ice disaster, Li Denghai unexpectedly found an improved lodging-resistant variety, and "Yedan No. 2" was finally bred successfully.It has a compact plant type, good light transmission and ventilation, large ears and heavy grains, and is favored by many people in the industry. "Yedan No. 2" really lived up to expectations.After being checked and accepted by the experts, the result will be announced: "Yedan No. 2" yields 776.9 kg per mu!Another high-yielding field, "Yedan No. 3", yielded 771.1 kg per mu!There were bursts of warm applause at the scene. The high yield of "Yedan No. 2" and "Yedan No. 3" further verified the success and feasibility of research on compact corn hybrids, and also determined Li Denghai's future research direction. The media flocked to report the good news of the high corn yield. In this way, Li Denghai breeds one season in the north every year, and then selects and breeds two seasons in Hainan.It is equivalent to extending the one-year scientific research time by three times, and completing 100 years of breeding research in 30 years. Li Denghai raced against time, and finally ran ahead of time.His research results are like a seed that breaks out of the ground, growing rapidly and unstoppable.He is rapidly advancing the pace of breeding research at the rate of 3 to 4 generations per year, and can breed a variety in two or three years. From Shandong to Hainan, new varieties of corn have sprung up one after another, such as Yedan No. 6, No. 7, No. 8, No. 9, No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, No. 13...Compact corn, The yield of hybrid summer corn has also been soaring with the advent of new varieties, breaking Li Denghai's own records time and time again. It has continuously broken through 800 kg, 900 kg, 1008.8 kg, and finally 1096.29 kg. In order to allow more farmers to master the advanced technology of corn cultivation, every high-quality seed will be handed over to farmers one day earlier to help farmers increase production and income.Li Denghai selected more than 800 demonstration sites in different ecological zones across the country, established 32 experimental stations, and deployed more than 300 professionals to give free lectures to guide cultivation and management.The brand-new science popularization method has been warmly welcomed by farmers all over the country, making the compact high-yield corn cultivation mode widely used in the main corn-producing areas of the country, and a large number of high-yield models with an yield of more than 1 ton per mu have emerged, which has driven the development of my country's corn production. Li Denghai said: "I love the land, and I love the peasant brothers even more." There is nothing that makes him more happy than the bumper harvest of the peasant brothers, and nothing that worries him more than the difficult things of the peasant brothers. One year, the Xinjiang seed production base was unexpectedly attacked by a cold air.Seeing that the 200,000 mu and 5 million kilograms of corn seeds that were about to be harvested were hit by frost.The germination rate of the frozen seeds did not meet the standard required by the state, so they could only be sold as commercial grain at 1 yuan per kilogram, while the contract price at that time was 3 yuan per kilogram. The farmers were helpless. Li Denghai resolutely decided to buy them all according to the seed contract price. He said it was to build farmers' confidence in growing corn and protect their enthusiasm. For this decision, Li Denghai paid the farmers more than 10 million yuan more. So far, Li Denghai's corn promotion and planting area has reached more than 1.2 billion mu, with an increase of more than 100 billion kilograms of corn. Li Denghai found a carefully treasured letter.This is a letter of thanks from the government of Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan. There is a sentence in the letter: "Since liberation, we have found the way to food and clothing for the first time with your Yedan No. 2." This is the best encouragement and the most simple praise for Li Denghai's dedication to cultivating fine seeds.Every time he saw it, Li Denghai felt that the burden on his shoulders was getting heavier. In the winter of 1984, due to rural reforms, the agricultural science team that Li Denghai was in was disbanded.He also became the deputy director of the County Science and Technology Commission, endowed with the "iron rice bowl" that everyone envied.Li Denghai, who was sitting in the office, was at a loss as to what to do.Without a platform for corn breeding and innovation, he felt empty and at a loss what to do.He thought that if he sat in the office from now on, his dream would be difficult to realize. A few days later, Li Denghai offered to resign.He decided to throw away the "iron rice bowl" and go home to farm. This move made the people around them puzzled. Why did they give up going to the city, turning their jobs, and eating "imperial food" instead of being the "mud leg" who endured hardship? Only Li Denghai knew the reason. At that time, the household registration of the whole family was changed from non-agricultural to non-agricultural, and the joint production contract system had been implemented in the countryside. Li Denghai did not have any land because he did not have a household registration in the village.He bit the bullet and transferred his mother's household registration back to the countryside, and used his mother's few acres of grain fields and rented land to engage in corn breeding. It is a new idea of ​​Li Denghai to find a new path in the development of agricultural science and technology. It turned out that Li Denghai discovered that my country's scientific research, planting, and sales belong to different departments, and each link is easily disconnected and cannot be closely integrated, which affects the transformation of scientific research results. Li Denghai asked Yantai Municipal Party Committee and Yexian County Party Committee for instructions, hoping to establish a private unit according to the industrialization of seeds. His proposal received strong support from the leaders. On April 15, 1985, three old houses, a few sacks, a few baskets, a rented experimental field, a few students who had not yet graduated from junior high school, and a few friends formed the "Ye County Houdeng Agricultural Experiment Station" .Here Li Denghai was able to continue his research on corn breeding. In April 1988, the experimental station was changed to "Laizhou Corn Research Institute".This is the first private agricultural science and technology enterprise in the country integrating scientific research, production, promotion and operation. Since then, Li Denghai has officially embarked on the road of conducting scientific research at his own expense, and fostering scientific research through scientific research. This winter, Li Denghai was leaving home for Hainan again. Because the village was far away from the county, Li Denghai decided to leave early. His mother got up early to see him off, and his young son got up when he heard the sound.Hearing that his father was leaving again, the son pulled his father's skirt and cried, "Dad, I won't let you go." When he saw his father's firm eyes, he let go and said helplessly, "Dad, you come back earlier." The mother led her son to take Li Denghai to the entrance of the village. From the door to the entrance of the village, Li Denghai always supported his mother with little feet.The thought of not being able to keep up with his mother's filial piety, and that his mother, who has worked hard all his life, has to take care of his children in her 80s, made Li Denghai feel heavy and uncomfortable.This journey seemed to be a long one, and neither mother nor son said much. In the cold winter morning, the sky was still very dark, and there were large flakes of snow floating in the sky.Li Denghai squatted down, picked up his son and kissed him, handed it to his mother, turned around and got into the car. The car started slowly, and with the help of a little morning light, he saw the thin figures of an old and a young slowly disappearing into the darkness. In a trance, he saw his mother wiped her eyes with her sleeves. How many days, how many times did my mother stand at the head of the village and look into the distance, Li Denghai couldn't restrain the sadness in his heart, and suddenly burst into tears. Many years later, this scene still clearly appears in Li Denghai's mind. He said that the most unforgiving person in this life is his mother. Now, whenever Li Denghai steps into and leaves the house, he will stand in front of his mother's portrait for a while, and his mother's kind eyes are always watching him silently, as if to say: "Baby! You have done a good job." , increased food for our farmers, no longer hungry, but don’t be too tired, you are also 60 years old.” Listening attentively to his mother's words, tears welled up in Li Denghai's eyes every time. His son, Li Xuhua, grew very thin. Li Denghai's wife, Zhang Yonghui, pollinated the corn the day before she was due to give birth. Overwork and malnutrition caused the child to be born one month prematurely.After the birth, because the couple devoted themselves to their careers and had no time to take care of the child, the child was raised by grandma, grandma, and aunt in turn.Until the age of 20, Li Xuhua weighed just 100 catties. Li Denghai owed his son too much, but he never doted on him.That year, he took 7-year-old Li Xuhua to play in a corn field, and the child accidentally stepped on a corn seedling, and Li Denghai kicked him in the buttocks, causing the child to cry in pain. After Li Xuhua grew up, Li Denghai put a shovel into his hand and took him to the field. Every time he came back from the field, the child would have more than a dozen blood blisters on his hands.Li Denghai doesn't feel sorry for the child, he is to train him and cultivate his love for this career. Because of the lack of contact, Li Xuhua and his father have never had any intimate movements since they were young. The child has always held prejudices against his father, thinking that this workaholic father does not love his children at all and has not fulfilled his family obligations. After the age of 20, Li Xuhua began to understand his father slowly. It was not until his son was born, seeing Li Denghai treating his grandson as a treasure, and seeing his grandson beaming with joy, that Li Xuhua completely understood his father. Li Xuhua believes that his father is actually a very humane person, his heart is full of love, that love is accompanied by responsibility, it is a deep love. In Li Denghai's heart, home is important, but there is a word "country" in front of home, which is of great importance to a Chinese with a sense of national responsibility.He believes that ensuring scientific and technological innovation is a top priority, and producing more scientific and technological achievements is a patriotic act. Li Denghai also wrote the eight characters of "scientific development, innovation for the country" on the wall of his courtyard. Until now, when the gate of Houteng Village is opened, these eight characters will be impressive. Li Denghai has the word "country" in his heart, so he doesn't feel bitter. For more than 30 years, he has been unable to reunite with his family every Spring Festival for the sake of corn cultivation, and stays in Hainan to celebrate the festival with his corn. The mother knew that her son would not be able to come back for the Spring Festival, but every year in the twelfth lunar month, she would still call Li Denghai: "Wan'er, it's almost Chinese New Year, when will you be back?" "Mom, I can't go back again, take care of yourself!" Mother was silent on the phone for a while, and then said: "Don't come back if you are busy, I can do everything at home. You should also pay attention to your health, don't be too tired!" Every time he put down the phone, Li Denghai would sit there blankly for a while.He is also a mortal, and he also loves his sons and daughters, so how could he not miss home? In 2002, the 93-year-old mother couldn't bear to think about her children, so she asked her family to accompany her to fly to Hainan and Li Denghai for the Spring Festival. Being with my son, this is the happiest Spring Festival my mother has had in years.But even if his mother came, Li Denghai didn't have time to accompany her, and he still soaked in the cornfield every day. Unexpectedly, this is the only Spring Festival that I spent with my mother in 38 years. At that time Li Denghai also jokingly said that the Spring Festival to me is not like the Spring Festival, but more like "Labor Day". In fact, in Li Denghai's life schedule, there are no such concepts as holidays, weekends, and eight-hour working hours. His wife Zhang Yonghui made a work schedule for Li Denghai: go to the fields from 6:00 to 9:00 in the morning, 10:00 to 14:00, and 15:00 to 21:00. Li Denghai not only worked long hours, but also worked very intensively. Research on corn breeding is different from other research in the laboratory, his laboratory is the corn field.Artificial pollination is necessary for corn hybridization. There is no dew in the morning, and the highest temperature of the day is the best time for pollination. Therefore, Li Denghai goes into the green gauze tent every day against the heat waves, and his body is often bloodstained by corn leaves. He needs more than 200,000 corn bags every year in the two places, and has to observe, record, select, and analyze one by one, all by manual operation.With such heavy work and difficult working conditions, year after year and week after week, Li Denghai never felt bored or wanted to give up. Due to years of ultraviolet radiation and high-intensity mental and physical labor, Li Denghai was seriously exhausted and suffered from various diseases. But the serious illness couldn't help Li Denghai at all.He suffered from Meniere's syndrome, and after more than ten days of dizziness and nausea, he stubbornly insisted on returning to Hainan.Due to standing for a long time, Li Denghai suffered from severe hemorrhoids. Every time he fell ill, he would feel excruciating pain when he moved a little bit. He had no choice but to go for surgery. After each operation, he could not get rest, he did not recover well, and his condition worsened If it is too late, another operation will be performed, such a vicious circle, Lee Teng Haiguang has undergone such operations 5 times. Hemorrhoids did not heal, and cerebral thrombosis patronized his body again, and he was admitted to the hospital.With such a disease, half of the body is unconscious.During the 70 days of bedridden, Li Denghai was so suffocated that he plunged into the corn field on the first day after he left the hospital. He wanted to see those corn babies that he had been thinking about day and night.During this period, he was also very worried, and urged his wife to go to the field several times to have a look. His wife Zhang Yonghui said that disease is nothing to him, and he regards seeds as more important than life.Every time he went out with seeds, Li Denghai would not allow his wife to take the same flight as him.Because he is most afraid of the seeds being lost, he always divides the seeds into two before going out, and takes them with his wife separately, and takes different flights. Zhang Yonghui understands him, but many people around think that Li Denghai's enthusiasm for breeding has reached an unbelievable level, even puzzling. Li Denghai is not good at words, but when it comes to the topic of corn cultivation, he can talk endlessly, and he can't talk enough for a few days and nights. When he is happy, he stands up and sings "Three Hundred and Sixty-five "Li Road": Years of wandering day and night, eating and sleeping in the open, for the sake of my ideals, I would rather endure loneliness, drink up the loneliness, shake off the dust of other places, embark on a long journey, and pursue my dreams with ruthlessness... the great ambition of that year It has never disappeared, even if time passes, it is still persistent... This is Li Denghai's favorite song. This song often brings him the courage and motivation to forge ahead when he is depressed. The lyrics are a reflection of his entrepreneurial journey. All the people present were moved by it, and I believe that the deep land under their feet can also hear the passionate singing of this young man, and they will also be moved by it. It was he who firmly walked the 365-mile road. In 2005, Li Denghai successfully bred a new super corn variety, and set a new world summer corn high-yield record of 140286 kg per mu! Li Denghai has proved through years of breeding and planting practices that the compact hybrid corn species has the incomparable superiority and high-yield ability of the flat hybrids.At the same time, Li Denghai was the first to believe that the high yield of my country's corn should be developed in the direction of compact hybrids.He also wrote a paper entitled "Using compact corn hybrids is an effective way to increase the yield of corn in my country", and communicated at the corn academic seminar. Li Denghai's point of view has been valued by experts.The corn expert advisory group of the Ministry of Agriculture actively put forward suggestions to the Ministry of Agriculture on the basis of years of investigation and verification. During the Eighth Five-Year Plan and the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, Li Denghai's compact corn varieties were widely promoted throughout the country, and the promotion effect was gratifying, and large areas of high yields appeared in various parts of the country. For the past 30 years, Li Denghai has spent every day in the corn field for two purposes: one is to cultivate new varieties of corn, and the other is to use high-quality seeds to tackle key problems with high yield. From the breeding of fine breeds to the stability of the breed, it is said that there is only a one in 120,000 chance of success. Li Denghai has been breeding for more than 30 years between two cities in the north and the south, which are more than 2,000 kilometers apart, just for the success rate of 1 in 120,000. Li Denghai achieved this 120,000th success with 100% confidence. Over the years, Li Denghai personally presided over the selection and breeding of more than 100 corn hybrids, more than 50 of which have passed national or provincial approval. Every time a new corn hybrid variety is launched and the corn yield record is broken, Li Denghai has made great efforts and extraordinary wisdom. Old corn breeder Li Jingxiong said in a letter to student Liu Enxun that "breeders are rare talents", and Liu Enxun proudly replied to the teacher: "Students are not as good as late students." Whoever can control the seeds may control the world, Li Denghai said. Through breeding excellent hybrids, Li Denghai has mastered the world's highest yield record of summer corn and won recognition and respect from the world. 在当今世界玉米栽培史上，档案里记载的只有两个人：一个是春玉米种植世界纪录的保持者，美国先锋种子公司的创始人华莱氏；另一个就是夏玉米的高产世界纪录的创造者李登海。 李登海成为种业世界知名人士，与此同时，他创建的登海种业也受到了国际上的关注，一些世界名列前茅的公司也纷纷伸出橄榄枝，要求与李登海交流与合作。 世界种业第一巨头美国先锋公司在国内寻找了多个合作目标，经过多年的调查考证，最终把目标锁定在了登海种业。 1996年，他们来函表明了合作意向。 先锋公司在创新、品牌、管理、体制等各方面处于世界领先水平，如果和他们合作，定能达成优势互补，资源共享，进一步推动我国种业的飞速发展。 这个多年来一直被自己视为榜样和赶超的对象，现在主动要求合作，李登海心中十分高兴。 但是初谈合作意向，双方就产生了分歧。 以前，先锋公司业务遍及全球70个国家和地区，和世界上任何一个公司合作，资金方面都是独资或者控股，这次也不例外，提出了控股60%的条件。 当得知这个合作条件后，李登海明确回复：如果合资，中方必须控股，这是个基本原则问题，没有商量的余地。 在中国，玉米占粮食总产量的24%，是仅次于小麦的主要粮食作物，种植面积占总耕地的1/5，玉米种子可以称得上是“国家粮食安全的命脉”。Why do you say that?因为玉米不仅在边远地区是重要的食粮，更是工业和能源原料，玉米的用途已经渗透到工业的各个领域。玉米还被称为“饲料之王”，以玉米为主要成分的饲料，每2～3公斤就能换回1公斤肉食。 因此，玉米形势的好坏，会对国民经济产生巨大的影响。 如果外方控股，我国的粮食安全就会受到威胁。 双方互不让步，谈判陷入了僵局。 之后，每年先锋公司都会派人来和李登海谈判，均无功而返。 这样的拉锯战在历经6年之后，先锋公司出于大局考虑，终于做出让步——这是美国先锋公司合作历史上仅有的一次破例。 2002年11月，中方出资208万美元，占51%股份，与美国先锋公司合资成立山东登海先锋种业有限公司。 同年12月，应美国种子贸易协会诚挚邀请，李登海前去访问美国先锋公司。 这次访问，李登海获得了国宾般的礼遇。就在下车的一刹那，他惊喜地发现，先锋公司总部升起了鲜艳的五星红旗！火红的旗帜迎风飘扬，在阳光的照耀下是多么鲜艳，多么庄严！ 一股暖流顷刻间温暖了李登海的心房。 这一刻，李登海心潮起伏，他觉得这不仅是对他多年来科技创新、奋斗成果的认可，更是一个世界玉米强国对中国种业技术和种业法规的尊重。 他此时心中充满了无比的自豪，是为伟大的祖国自豪。 一粒粒金黄色的种子，改变了世界，也使世界彻底改变了对中国的看法。 李登海觉得这条创新之路还是走对了，并且决心一定要克服一切困难，倾其毕生精力坚持走下去。 2005年，登海种业股份有限公司于深圳上市。 上市后的登海种业，注册资本已达1.76亿元，总资产也超过了11亿元人民币。登海种业一举成为我国进入WTO以来，最具国际竞争力的种业公司。 在别人看来，李登海身为上市公司董事长，是名副其实的“亿万富翁”，他一定很有钱吧！ 可如今上市后的李登海与之前没有任何差别，依然头戴草帽，脚蹬胶鞋，天天拱在玉米地里。李登海说，我就像一粒种子，离不开大地。我只是上市公司的一名打工者，是个地地道道在玉米地里为股东和为祖国打工的“长工”。 在李登海的身上根本找不到富翁的影子。了解李登海的人都知道，他对自己有多“小气”，自家的房子多年没有整修，家里连件像样的家具都没有，平常穿的衣服，连农民都看不上眼。为了省钱，每次出差都坐折扣最低的航班。 李登海总是说，生活上够用就行，我还是觉得大葱蘸酱最好吃。 李登海严格要求节约开支，是为了保证科研经费的足够支出。 他深知作为民营企业，没有国家的财政拨款作为支撑，为了继续开创玉米高产道路，赶超世界先进水平，就必须保证经费储备对自主创新的支撑。 30多年来，李登海在玉米科研上的投入已经超过了2亿元。 李登海获得过很多荣誉和奖金，他把所有奖金都仔细地攒了起来，他要建立一项科学基金，以奖励那些为玉米育种和栽培做出重大贡献的人。 他说：“我希望更多的人都来搞创新，也希望有更多的人能够超越我。” 30多年来，李登海培育的30多个具有高配合力的紧凑型玉米自交系，获得了四十多项品种权和十余项专利。他毫不犹豫把它们无偿提供给农业院校和农业科研单位使用。 山东省省长在视察海南科研基地后很感慨地对李登海说：“我很佩服你们，多年来拿自己的钱搞科研，把科研成果贡献给国家。” 种子是李登海的精神，种子是李登海的生命，种子是李登海的全部！ 1993年，就在李登海当选为全国人大常委会委员时，为了保护农民的利益，他提出了制定《种子法》的建议。此后，他又连年提出议案。历经7年后，在2000年6月，《种子法》终于诞生，这是我国种业的第一部法律，它的出台在一定程度上推进了我国种业规范化、市场化的水平。 17年后的2010年，同样在全国人大会上，已过知天命之年的李登海，在向共和国总理温家宝汇报时，雄心勃勃地说：“38年来，我选育的新品种已为我国增产了1000亿多公斤，争取再用15年到20年的时间，通过科技创新选育出更多高产品种，特别是高产紧凑型超级玉米新品种，再为国家贡献1000亿公斤！” 近几年，李登海又研制选育出了十几个超级玉米新品种。至2009年为止，3个品种已经通过了山东省审定，2个品种通过河南省审定，2个品种通过国家审定。 经验证，超级玉米的亩产比现有品种产量至少高出150公斤，照每年向全国推广1000万亩算，产量就可增加15亿公斤，相当于为国家新增耕地150万亩。 李登海说：“我这一生只做一件事，就是增加玉米产量！” 简简单单一句话，却掷地有声。 李登海用一生践行着这个目标，用锲而不舍、无私无畏的种子精神向世人做出了最大声的承诺和最崇高的宣言。 直到现在，年过60的李登海还在为着这个宣言不断呐喊、前行。