Ding Ying

Who was Ding Ying?

Ding Ying was a Chinese agriculturalist.

Ding was born on November 25, 1888 in Gaozhou County, Guangdong Province, China. His father, Ding Lintai was an average farmer. After graduating from high school, Ding studied natural science at Guangdong Advanced Normal College for one year. Thanks to his excellent grades, he then went to study in Japan, supported by the government. He enrolled in the preparatory school of Tokyo First Advanced College in September 1912, and studied Japanese. He went home in June 1914. Later in September, he went to Japan again and continue the study in another college. In 1919 due to the outbreak of May Fourth Movement, Ding returned to China. He taught in Gaozhou High School, Gaozhou Agricultural School, and later served in Guangdong provincial education bureau.

In April 1921, Ding went to study in Japan for the third time, and enrolled in the department of agriculture of Tokyo Imperial University. He became the first Chinese student studying rice cultivation at that university. When he obtained his bachelor's degree in 1924, he was 36 years old.