On April 28, a ceremony to celebrate the 2026 International Workers' Day and honor exemplary individual workers, collectives or companies was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. XU Peng, a professor of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), was honored with the prestigious National May 1 Labor Medal.
Prof. XU Peng has dedicated to agricultural science. He leads the world’s largest gene bank for upland rice, having collected, cataloged, and preserved more than 4,000 rare upland rice accessions. He also pioneered an evaluation and breeding system for upland rice adaptability, resulting in 13 provincial level certified varieties. One of his landmark achievements,"Zhongke Xilu No. 4," is China’s first dual purpose rice variety suitable for both upland and paddy cultivation.
Over the past five years, Xu’s varieties have been planted on more than 3 million mu (approximately 200,000 hectares), generating an additional 224 million kilograms of rice. The social and economic benefits have been substantial.
XU Peng has facilitated the certification and application of three rice varieties in Vietnam and Myanmar. A technical aid project featuring his new upland rice strains received support from the Ministry of Commerce.
His work also earned him a second prize Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award (top recipient) in 2020.
The National May 1 Labor Medal, established by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, is conferred upon exemplary collectives and workers who have made outstanding contributions to China's economic, political, cultural, social, ecological civilization construction, as well as Party building. The award seeks to promote the spirit of model workers, the value of labor, and the pursuit of craftsmanship, inspiring workers at all levels to dedicate themselves to their posts, innovate, strive for excellence, and actively participate in advancing Chinese modernization.
XU Peng wins National May 1 Labor Medal
XU Peng works in the field.
