On the morning of January 8, Hainan University hosted the 56th Distinguished Scientist Lecture at the auditorium of the Social Sciences Building. Fan Guoqiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered a lecture titled “Current Status and Prospects of Paulownia Research.” Attendees included Lyu Xunbo, Deputy Director of Hainan Provincial Talent Development Bureau Xu Wei, Vice Chairman of the Hainan Association for Science and Technology; and Li Buhong, Vice President of Hainan University.

The lecture is in progress. (Photo by Zhang Mengting)

Focusing on paulownia—a fast-growing, multi-purpose tree species native to China—Fan began with its defining feature as “the lightest wood in the world.” He outlined major breakthroughs in scientific research, industrial upgrading, and ecological applications, highlighting the expansion of paulownia studies from traditional uses such as windbreaks, sand control, and musical instruments to frontier fields including genomics and biomedicine. Fan also shared his team’s achievements, including the establishment of the world’s first big-data sharing platform for paulownia genetic information, elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying rapid growth, superior traits, and witches’ broom disease, and the development of an integrated disease prevention and control system. He introduced the pioneering creation of tetraploid paulownia germplasm and new varieties, as well as key advances in whole-genome selection breeding, high-yield cultivation.

Fan Guoqiang delivers the lecture. (Photo by Gao Kehe)

Fan noted that paulownia research delivers significant economic, ecological, and social benefits, providing strong support for major national forestry projects, high-quality forestry development, and rapid progress in forest genetics and breeding. He emphasized continued efforts to address frontier scientific questions, deepen basic research, and accelerate new variety development to drive higher-quality growth of the paulownia industry.

The forum drew a full house. Faculty and students engaged in discussions on breeding technologies, industrial applications, and disease control, with Fan offering detailed responses.

The Q&A Session (Photo by Zhang Mengting)

The Q&A Session (Photo by Zhang Mengting)

Following the forum, he met with young faculty representatives from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry for in-depth exchanges.

The lecture was attended both online and offline. Among the participants were representatives from the Hainan Association for Science and Technology, heads of various schools and departments at HNU, and faculty and students from multiple HNU campuses, including Haidian, Danzhou, Mission Hills (which also oversees the Chengxi Teaching Site), and Yazhou Bay.

Translated by Shu Wenzhuo

Proofread by Feng Jun