A Respectable Watermelon Expert
China (be) the largest producer and consumer of watermelons in the world since 2018. And Wu Mingzhu, 92 years old now, is the unsung hero who has helped make this possible. is assumed that about 80 percent of the watermelons served at people's dining tables every day are the result of great efforts made by Wu and her team over more than 60 years.
Admitted to Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing in the late 1940s, Wu is an alumnus (校友) of Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice". After two years of application failures, Wu succeeded in (realize)her dream of starting her career in Xinjiang in 1955. Since then, she has devoted (she)to growing sweet melons.
Wu's efforts to grow quality melons began paying off in 1973, she set up an off-season growing base in Hainan. Going and returning between Xinjiang and Hainan (regular) for many years, Wu developed a (various) of China's new seed kinds through off-season growing.
Wu's contribution has won her many praises. She became member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1999 and an honorary citizen of Sanya in 2004. In addition, growers call her the "Queen of Melons".
Now suffering from Alzheimer's (阿尔兹海默) disease, Wu is often (able) to recognize her former colleagues or even her family members. However, the memory of her melon work (remain) in her mind.
