A portrait of Yuan Longping, known as the "father of hybrid rice", has attracted attention and touched many netizens after it was posted on the Chinese video sharing platform Douyin.

The portrait, which is composed of over 10,000 smiling faces of rice, was created by Zhao Long, a 32-year-old painter in Changchun, Jilin province.

"I was so shocked when I got the news of Yuan's death on Saturday," he said. "At that time I thought I had to do something to express my condolences."

He spent a whole day on the portrait.

"I think Yuan is the greatest star and worthy for all young people to follow," he said. "I just hoped to express my great respect in my own way."

Zhao Long, a 32-year-old painter in Changchun, Jilin province, created a portrait of Yuan Longping, known as the "father of hybrid rice", using more than 10,000 smiling faces of rice. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]