Zhuang Wenying's half-life

Zhuang Wenying's half-life

Zhuang Wenying's half-life fate

After nearly half a century of scientific research career, Zhuang Wenying has rarely gone to field investigations
.

After nearly half a century of scientific research career, Zhuang Wenying has rarely gone to field investigations
.

In the past, her feet have crawled across the wild mountains and ridges of 26 provinces and regions across the country; her back has been carrying countless specimens of fungi; and her eyes have identified more than 360 new species
.

After seventy years, Zhuang Wenying's steps sank, her back was slightly bent, and her eyes often shed tears uncontrollably

She has many honors, such as "Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences", "Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Developing Countries", "Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences", "Foreign Honorary Fellow of the American Mycological Society"; scholars have named the new fungus genus "Wen Ying" after her The new genus of bacteria and the new genus of bacteria, "Wenyingella haizhuang"; recently, she was selected as the 2021 in the first study and publicity activity for Beijing’s most beautiful scientific and technological workers jointly launched by the Beijing Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, Beijing Association for Science and Technology and other departments "The most beautiful science and technology worker" in Beijing
.

But what she values ​​most is the simplest title-"Mycologist"

Zhuang Wenying working in the laboratory (photo by Ni Sijie)

At the age of 30, she "embarked on the path of mycology"

At the age of 30, she "embarked on the path of mycology"

In 1968, Zhuang Wenying was 20 years old
.

Responding to the call of the state, she went to the countryside to jump in the queue

In 1973, Zhuang Wenying waited for the opportunity

With questions, Zhuang Wenying enrolled in the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences graduate, under the tutelage of fungi scientist, researcher at the Chinese Academy of microbes more than Yongnian, "embarked on this road mycology"

The larger world spread out in front of Zhuang Wenying
.

At Cornell University in the United States, Wenying Zhuang read many rare mycological literature and saw the efficiency of scientific research by international peers, so she reduced her rest time as much as possible to study and work

After returning home in 1988, Zhuang Wenying had an idea - let the Chinese mycological walked up the international arena, "I want to know domestic scholars and international journals is not unattainable"
.

In 1993, with the help of a special support project from the Department of Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences , she and a dozen of her colleagues went deep into the jungle of Daba Mountain for fieldwork

Chinese Academy of Sciences

"I haven't done anything vigorous"

"I haven't done anything vigorous"

After the 1980s, Zhuang Wenying spent some of her work in the field
.

At that time, the conditions of the scientific examination were very simple
.

The luggage and equipment are all carried by themselves.

The arduous journey made Zhuang Wenying feel very good
.

During the Spring Festival in 1998, she took a dozen people to form an expedition team to enter Dalong Mountain, Guangxi, to conduct fungal investigations in tropical areas
.
Before entering the mountain, everyone rode through the long and narrow reservoir in iron boats, and green islands with inaccessible people passed by them slowly, picturesquely picturesque
.
The end of the journey was a primitive jungle, where Zhuang Wenying saw many new species of discoid fungi that had never been seen before
.
The more they went forward, the more specimens they collected, and the heavier the backpack, but everyone's footsteps became lighter
.
There are still many good memories: Daming Mountain in Guangxi is the place with the highest humidity she has ever been to, walking like clouds; there is no road in the vast Gobi Desert in Xinjiang, they are bumpy all the way but rejoicing.
.
.

There are still many memories of her: Daming Mountain in Guangxi is the place with the highest humidity she has ever been to, walking like clouds; there is no road in the vast Gobi Desert in Xinjiang, they are bumpy all the way but rejoicing.
.
.

Bitterness and happiness blended together, fainting neither thick nor light in her heart
.
"I haven't done anything vigorous
.
" Recalling the past, Zhuang Wenying said
.
But over the years, she has unknowingly led the expedition to 26 provinces and regions across the country; studied a large number of fungal materials from 39 countries and regions; discovered 1 new family, 13 new genera, and more than 360 new species To clarify a large number of classification and naming issues; to discover and screen out Trichoderma strains with broad application potential, which refreshes the status of Trichoderma resources in China; Zhuang Wenying also independently completed the world monograph study of 3 genera, and made part of our country The number of species in the group has doubled
.

"I haven't done anything vigorous
.
" Recalling the past, Zhuang Wenying said
.
But over the years, she has led the expedition team to 26 provinces and regions across the country; studied a large number of fungal materials from 39 countries and regions; discovered 1 new family, 13 new genera, and more than 360 new species, clarified A large number of classification and naming issues; the discovery and screening of Trichoderma strains with broad application potential has made the status of Trichoderma resources in China a new look; Zhuang Wenying also independently completed the world monograph study of 3 genera, and made some groups of species in China The number has doubled
.

"What he left, I will definitely use the useful ones"

"What he left, I will definitely use the useful ones"

There is an old thermos pot in Zhuang Wenying's office, which was left after her teacher Yu Yongnian cleaned the office when she retired
.
"Insulation is not very good, but it can still be used
.
I will definitely use the useful ones he left
.
" Zhuang Wenying said
.

The more precious thing the teacher left to Zhuang Wenying was his passion and perseverance towards mycology
.
Yu Yongnian has been engaged in mycological research and teaching for more than 50 years.
He has published more than 120 papers in more than 30 academic journals at home and abroad, edited, written and translated more than 20 books
.
In 2010, Yu Yongnian knew he was suffering from cancer, and still insisted on organizing scholars from all over the country to write a century-old research history of Chinese mycology
.
Under the torment of illness, Yu Yongnian's work was arduous and painful.
What is gratifying is that in 2015, one year after his death, the "100 Years of Mycology in China" was officially published
.

This passion and perseverance infected Zhuang Wenying
.
While leading the team to carry out comprehensive research on fungal resource surveys, classification, molecular systematics, and database construction in the tropical and northwestern regions of China, she also presided over more than 20 major projects such as the "Compilation and Research of Chinese Sporophyta"; Wrote and edited 9 books and participated in the editing of 9 books; became the authoritative reference book in the field of international mycology—the first Chinese scholar who participated in the compilation of the "Dictionary of Fungi"
.
In her seventies, she insisted on serving as a biology editor in the third edition of "Encyclopedia of China", and taught in public platforms such as classrooms in primary and middle schools and the Capital Science Lecture Hall.
.
.

Zhuang Wenying's enthusiasm and perseverance also infected her students
.
When revising the papers for the students, Zhuang Wenying always made the revisions and remarks carefully from the research data to the research conclusions, from wording and sentence to punctuation
.
In daily scientific research, she often guides students in experimental operations, accompanies them to clean the experimental table, and takes them to look up books and documents
.
Her student Wang Xincun commented on her like this: "To live with a good person is like entering the room of Lan Zhi and not smelling it for a long time
.
"

Time has always been Zhuang Wenying's only opponent
.
"I am in my 70s, and mycology has many unknown fields.
I still need to keep learning
.
" Zhuang Wenying said, she does not believe in the next life
.
She is doing her best to try to broaden the boundaries of people's understanding of mycology
.

Zhuang Wenying popularized the practical value of Trichoderma to reporters (photo by Ni Sijie)

Specimens and strains studied by Zhuang Wenying (photographed by Ni Sijie)