People gather to say a final goodbye on Saturday to Yuan Longping as the hearse carrying his body passes the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center in Changsha, in Central China's Hunan province. [Photo by Gu Pengbo/Hunan Daily]

People turned out in the rain in Changsha, in Central China's Hunan province, on Saturday to pay their respects to the esteemed rice scientist Yuan Longping, who was known as the father of hybrid rice.

Yuan, who helped develop hybrid rice strains that saved countless people from hunger, died aged 91 on Saturday, after an illness.

The hearse carrying Yuan's body passed the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, where he worked, and Yuan's residence.