The AI docudrama Spring is Coming is a masterful retelling of the story of Cheng Xiangwen, a corn breeding expert whose work over the past five decades has helped secure China’s food supply.

In 1956, China officially launched its “Nanfan” seed-breeding initiative, an innovative, singular approach to seed-breeding research. Nanfan researchers begin working in autumn, propagating, selecting, and evaluating crop cultivars—a process that is greatly accelerated by the warm, sunny climes and fertile soil of Sanya, Lingshui, and Ledong in Hainan.

In recent years, Hainan has accelerated the construction of the “Nanfan Agricultural Silicon Valley,” where core seed-breeding technologies are developed and breeding provenance is assured, providing crucial support to securing China’s rice bowl and ensuring the high-quality development of the seed breeding industry.