Prof. Yuan devoted his whole life to the research of hybrid rice. On the first anniversary of Prof. Yuan Yuan’s death, our research team wrote a paper to commemorate him. In this paper, we recalled his life, his research progress and achievements of hybrid rice. He led and guided his research team to overcome difficulties in hybrid rice research. Hybrid rice has made important contributions to China and world’s food security. He is a great researcher worthy of our memory forever in the world.