Han Xiaoyan, a National March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter, is the Director of the Research and Achievements Office at the Sanya Nanfan Research Institute of Hainan University. In 2008, she graduated with a master’s degree from Huazhong Agricultural University and was recruited as a key talent by the Sanya Nanfan Science and Technology Research Institute. At that time, research on vegetable grafting techniques in Sanya was a complete blank slate. Starting from scratch, she set her sights on grafting technology for melons and vegetables, took the lead in establishing a seedling breeding center, and carried out research, demonstration, and promotion of seedling cultivation. Through field visits, she discovered that poor quality and low yields were seriously reducing cucumber growers’ incomes, which led her to set her goal on developing grafted cucumber varieties specifically adapted to Sanya’s local conditions.

In 2009, she began researching new varieties of cucumber grafting rootstocks, spending her days in the fields observing grafted seedlings and her nights in the lab monitoring data. Through repeated selection, the “Huofenghuang” rootstock variety emerged prominently. It achieved a high grafting survival rate and excellent fruit characteristics, boosting yields by 20.54%, and was proven to be a superior rootstock for cucumber grafting in Sanya. Building on this, she developed a replicable cucumber grafting technique tailored to Sanya’s climate, producing grafted seedlings with strong disease resistance and well-developed root systems, significantly improving both the yield and quality of cucumbers.

Bringing the technology “out of the lab and into the fields” was no easy task. Cucumber farmers, accustomed to years of traditional planting methods, were reluctant to try anything new. Han Xiaoyan and her team braved the scorching sun, traveling from village to village, enlisting local technicians to help persuade farmers while setting up demonstration plots in the villages to grow cucumbers using grafting techniques. When harvest season came, the demonstration fields saw yields jump from 7,000–8,000 jin (0.5 kg) to 10,000 jin per mu (≈666.7 square meters). Seeing the results with their own eyes, farmers flocked to request grafted seedlings and ask technicians for guidance. From 2009 to the present, grafting techniques for melon and vegetables have been applied in cultivation across farming land of more than approximately 100,000 mu in Sanya, producing 50,000 tonnes annually, and have since been extended to Dongfang, Baoting, Wuzhishan, and other regions. She has also formulated multiple local standards, including the Technical Regulations for Grafted Melon Seedling Cultivation, and conducted over 100 poverty-alleviation outreach sessions and training classes for farmers, reaching over 4,000 farmers in total.

In July 2021, the Sanya Nanfan Research Institute of Hainan University was established and relocated to the Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City. As the project liaison officer, she played a key role in advancing several major projects, including the building of the headquarters base of the National Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, the National Agricultural Multi-Omics Platform, and the Batou Village Nanfan Public Experimental Base — all of which have now been completed and put into use.

In her personal life, Han Xiaoyan is actively involved in public welfare activities. She participates in the “Caring Mother” program organized by the Women’s Federation, caring for left-behind and disadvantaged children. She was once the first torchbearer in the torch relay of the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities. She often gives lectures in public S&T education outreach activities, such as the “Poverty Alleviation Evening Classes” and the “Bringing External Counselors into the Classrooms” initiative. She undertakes these activities in her capacity as a member of the 4th Committee of the Sanya Youth Federation and delegate to the Seventh Hainan Provincial Women's Congress. In 2024, she was honored as a National March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter. She said, “Nanfan has become an important part of my life. I will continue to leverage my expertise and contribute to the development of the Nanfan Silicon Valley.”

Translated by Lin Yuxin

Proofread by Chen Chuanxian