Death of famed ‘seed man’ plants new hope

The “seed man’s” mission took him to the greatest heights — that is, to the roof of the world — to lead a team collecting 40 million seeds from hundreds of thousands of species.

Zhong Yang often undertook research in harsh environments, where few biologists dared tread, especially Qomolangma, known in the West as Mount Everest.

The botanist also was celebrated as an educator and popular-science communicator, who cultivated a passion for science among the public and potential PhDs before his recent death in a car accident last September.

He was 53.

Zhong journeyed thousands of kilometers through Tibet every year during his 16 years of regularly visiting the autonomous region.

He and his team collected seeds, including those of many species not previously contained in the world’s largest seed banks.

“We’re studying the diversity and adaptation mechanisms of plants in the QinghaiTibet Plateau’s extreme environments,” Zhong’s former student and Tibet University Professor Lhachun said.

“So, we frequently travel to high altitudes. Zhong told us it’s not our task to work in low altitudes and comfortable places.”

Their seed-collection quest on the plateau, also known as the “third pole”, is a race against time, said Zhong’s former student and director of the Tibet Germplasm Bank, Tashi Tsering.

“Climate change is causing the glaciers to recede,” he said.

This, in turn, is drying out the world’s highest elevations.

“We realized we must collect and preserve seeds to protect biodiversity. We were rushing while working in the field in Tibet. We’d sometimes travel up to 800 kilometers a day and weren’t guaranteed a place to stay.”

The team collected specimens during the daytime and processed them at night.

“We only slept for an hour or two after dark and stayed at high altitudes during the day,” he said.

“We had to work hard. We were exhausted.”

Lhachun recalled the final trip he made with Zhong to Qomolangma.

“Our goal was very clear. We were looking for seeds from plants that grow on the planet’s highest altitudes,” he said.

“I told Zhong we shouldn’t go so high. His lips were dark. He was gasping.”

The team found Gnaphalium affine D. Don plants, also known as Jersey cudweed, at an elevation of about 6,000 meters.

“Zhong was very excited,” Lhachun said.

“This discovery meant a lot to him. It’s a good sample for studying how plants adapt to extreme elevations.”

Zhong was instrumental in developing Tibet University’s ecology major, which is the only discipline recognized by the Education Ministry’s Double First-Class list.

His wife, Zhang Xiaoyan, donated all the compensation money from his death to establish the Foundation of Professor Zhong Yang of Fudan University to reward outstanding teachers and students in Shanghai and Tibet.

“We sorted his desk after he passed away,” she said.

“We found much of his work was half done. Our child said: ‘This was my father’s money. It was for his life. We should still use it for his career.’ ”

Zhong enrolled in the University of Science and Technology of China’s School of Gifted Youth at age 15.

He started working at Shanghai’s Fudan University in 2000, after leaving the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Wuhan Institute of Botany.

The scientist began visiting Tibet a year later for research and later went on to help Tibet University develop its ecology major from scratch.

The professor’s youngest son is studying at a Tibetan middle school in Shanghai because the boy developed an interest in the region while traveling there with his father.

He said he supports his dad’s wish that some of his ashes be taken to Tibet.

“Then, I’ll have a reason to make pilgrimages to Tibet — to pay tribute to my father,” he said.

Tashi Tsering spread Zhong’s ashes in Tibet’s Brahmaputra River.

“When he was recovering from a brain hemorrhage, he said his whole life was devoted to Tibet. We also felt that way,” Tashi Tsering said.

“So, we felt we could honor his life’s aspirations by bringing his ashes here. Part of him has returned to Lhasa.”

Two greenhouses near Shanghai’s coast host dozens of mangrove saplings.

The plant is often referred to as a “coast guard” because it serves as an ecological buffer along the shores.

But it was previously believed the species couldn’t survive in places like Shanghai.

Zhong and his team spent 10 years cultivating the saplings.

They’ll grow during the coming half-century into large trees that benefit future generations. They bear testimony to the seed man’s story — a mission to plant hope and cultivate a better future for all.