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On July 22, Academician Kuang Tingyun was interviewed by reporters from West China Metropolis Daily and Cover News in Beijing. Photo by He Hongjie

In November 2023, reporters from West China Metropolis Daily and Cover News presented a giant panda doll to Academician Kuang Tingyun (left). Photo by Wu Deyu

Biography
Kuang Tingyun, born in December 1934, is a native of Zizhong County, Neijiang City. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, a plant physiologist, and a biochemist. He has been engaged in the research of photosynthesis and the structure and function of photosynthetic membrane proteins for a long time. He has devoted himself to the research of photosynthesis for more than 60 years and is committed to uncovering the mystery of light energy conversion. He has provided basic and forward-looking theoretical and technical support for major national strategies such as agriculture and energy, and has made outstanding contributions to the development of photosynthesis research in my country.

A photo of Kuang Tingyun at Moscow State University in the Soviet Union. Photo provided by the interviewee

It is hot and humid in Beijing during the dog days of summer.
On July 22, at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Institute of Botany), located at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain, reporters from West China Metropolis Daily and Cover News met with academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and plant physiologist Kuang Tingyun. Academician Kuang Tingyun, 90 years old this year, was dressed in a green dress with bell-bottom pants, as fashionable and elegant as ever. Although she is already in her twilight years, she still wears her favorite brightly colored clothes to work, research, and dedicate her energy to the Institute of Botany.
On the morning of June 24, the National Science and Technology Awards Conference was held in Beijing. The project "Research on the Structure and Function of Eukaryotic Photosynthetic Membrane Proteins" led by Kuang Tingyun, with the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences as the first completing unit, won the second prize of the National Natural Science Award in 2023.
Because he has devoted his life to the study of photosynthesis, many people call Academician Kuang Tingyun a "light chaser". Now, let us get close to Academician Kuang Tingyun and listen to the story of this 90-year-old "light chaser".

Continuously on the road of learning

Studying hard and contributing to the motherland was Kuang Tingyun's wish when she was young, and it also determined the direction of her future study and work.
In 1949, when Kuang Tingyun was 15 years old, she was studying at the Second Middle School of Zizhong County, Sichuan Province. Due to her excellent academic performance, she was elected as the first student union president of the Second Middle School of Zizhong County and became the vice president of the Zizhong County Student Union. In 1950, she was fortunate to attend the Southwest Student Representative Conference in Chongqing as a representative of the Student Union, and personally listened to the situation report made by Comrade Deng Xiaoping, who was then the leader of the Southwest Administrative Committee. Kuang Tingyun recalled: "When the new China was founded, there was a lot of work to be done. Young students should study hard and contribute to the motherland. At that time, I was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and it was unlikely for me to join the army, so I needed to study hard to go to college and build the motherland." This report made her very excited, and at the same time made her determined to study hard and devote herself to the cause of building a new China.
In this way, this Sichuan girl was admitted to the Department of Soil and Agricultural Chemistry of Beijing Agricultural University (now China Agricultural University). With the youthful ambition to build the motherland, Kuang Tingyun left her hometown in Sichuan and began her dream and struggle at the Agricultural University.
"At that time, I thought I would be doing chemical research, such as synthesizing chemical fertilizers, but in fact I studied agricultural chemistry, so it was quite broad: plant biochemistry, agricultural chemistry, and soil chemistry were all included. I received a very good training during my university years." Recalling her university days, Kuang Tingyun believes that the extensive learning of multiple disciplines at that time laid a good foundation for her future scientific research career.
In 1958, Kuang Tingyun was selected to study in the Department of Biological Soil Science at Moscow State University in the Soviet Union. The process was not smooth sailing. She took the exam for the preparatory college students to study in the Soviet Union twice before she seized this opportunity. "At that time, most of my classmates did not have this opportunity, so I cherished it very much and felt that I must hand in a satisfactory answer in the future." During the four years of study, she collected a large amount of literature, filling more than 10 wooden boxes. When she returned to China, she brought back all these scientific research materials one by one.
After returning to China, Kuang Tingyun joined the Institute of Botany. Due to the need for production practice, the institute decided to let her conduct research on "the effect of trace element manganese on rice yield increase", which coincided with the direction of "the effect of hormones on plant metabolism" she studied in the Soviet Union.
More than 70 years later, Kuang Tingyun still clearly remembers many details of that time. In countless experiences, constantly breaking through scientific problems became the raw material for her growth. Continuously absorbing the essence of knowledge and her passion for fighting for the motherland led her to the path of scientific research, and then she had faith and persistence in her lifelong struggle.

Total unfinished research projects

A statue of Tang Peisong stands in the Jingtian Building of the Institute of Botany in Xiangshan. In 1986, German scientists announced a research result on the spatial structure of photosynthetic membrane proteins at the atomic level at the 7th International Photosynthesis Conference, which shocked Kuang Tingyun. After returning to China, she reported to Tang Peisong, then director of the Institute of Botany: photosynthetic membrane proteins are too important, very difficult, and the international competition is too fierce. Mr. Tang immediately decided that since it is so important, China should also do it, and immediately decided to conduct interdisciplinary research, with the Institute of Botany starting with biochemistry and the Institute of Biophysics starting with structure, to carry out research on the structure and function of photosynthetic membrane proteins.
The spatial structure of photosynthetic membrane proteins is measured in "angstroms", which is a unit smaller than nanometers. German scientists first analyzed the crystal structure of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein complex from peas through three-dimensional reconstruction of two-dimensional crystals at a resolution of 3.4 angstroms. Although the scientific community is eager to obtain a higher resolution, Chinese scientists are not given much hope.
In 2004, Kuang Tingyun's team, together with the team from the Institute of Biophysics, completed the crystal structure analysis of the main light-harvesting complex of spinach with a resolution of 2.72 angstroms, and the structure diagram appeared on the cover of Nature magazine. Kuang Tingyun proudly said: "This is a Chinese crystal and a Chinese structure. After that, we have made breakthroughs in the spatial structure of super-large molecular complexes of photosynthetic membranes one after another internationally."
When talking about scientific research, Kuang Tingyun is always eloquent. She started with the National Key Basic Research and Development Program (973 Program), then the crystal structure analysis of the photosynthetic membrane protein supramolecular complex of higher plant photosystem I, which won the "Top Ten Advances in Chinese Life Sciences in 2015", and then the successful analysis of the spatial structure of the diatom-specific light-harvesting antenna pigment protein complex for the first time in 2019.
Kuang Tingyun remembers every detail of the scientific research she has walked, the pitfalls she has stepped on, the waters she has waded through, and the joy of experimental progress. "When we first started doing scientific research, our conditions were far behind those abroad," she said. "With the development of the country, research conditions in all aspects have improved. With our efforts, we have gradually moved to the international forefront, can compete with the international community, and have been widely recognized by the industry."
"This is the third time I have won the National Natural Science Award. This honor also belongs to my team and students. We are still working hard in this field," said Kuang Tingyun. After winning the award, although she believes that she has entered the "old age" of scientific research and feels that time is running out, she is also trying her best to lead young people to work hard for the country's scientific and technological development. "In fact, we have retired, but we have never stopped working and are still working hard." Major scientific projects have been completed time and time again, but her own research project has never been completed, and she always wants to move forward.

Life is impermanent, but also has its permanence

While studying at Moscow State University, Kuang Tingyun met Zhang Shen, a graduate student in the Department of Biology. After obtaining their doctoral degrees, the two registered their marriage at the Chinese Embassy in Moscow. Later, they were both elected as academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and became an enviable scientific couple.
"Our research schedule was very tight and we had almost no time together, but unfortunately, he passed away from brain cancer in 2002. The grief of losing my beloved life partner, coupled with the fact that I was heading up the final project of the 973 project, and the long-term overload of work caused my body to collapse. Fortunately, the improvement of national medical conditions and the care of the Party and the state for scientific researchers enabled me to receive very good treatment, and through timely surgery, the tumor was successfully removed. I eventually defeated the disease and gained a new life," said Kuang Tingyun.
Through experiments, scientific research data can be continuously improved, but life outside the instruments is full of uncertainty. In March and September 2019, Kuang Tingyun was diagnosed with colon cancer and lung cancer respectively. After two operations, she miraculously won the battle against cancer again. "Instead of being an anti-cancer star, it is better to go back to the laboratory and work hard." After being discharged from the hospital, she soon returned to work. She has overcome obstacles in the scientific research road and experienced ups and downs in life, but she is still elegant and calm, and all the storms are just passing clouds.
In 2023, at the 6th World Top Scientists "She" Forum held in Shanghai, Kuang Tingyun stood throughout the entire speech and spoke fluent English for nearly 20 minutes. She wore a black and white cardigan and purple bell-bottom pants that day, and her fashion style was no less than that of young people. She said: "This is a kind of love, which includes respect for others and the pursuit of career and beauty."
Whether it is an inconspicuous grass or a towering ancient tree, they all grow through photosynthesis. Light, water, and carbon dioxide are the essential raw materials for photosynthesis. Kuang Tingyun has completed "photosynthesis" again and again with 90 years of hard work and struggle.
From the vast universe to tiny cells, from national treasures to chips, from the paleontological kingdom to the quantum world, Kuang Tingyun, as an important participant and contributor to the country's scientific progress and technological innovation, continues to write a beautiful chapter that belongs to "her".
Huaxi Metropolis Daily-Cover News reporter Che Jiazhu and trainee reporter He Hongjie