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On April 29th, before the coming 135th International Labor Day ("May Day"), a conference to honor the model workers, advanced workers, and advanced collectives was held in Beijing. Professor Li Demei from the College of Food Science and Engineering was named as "Beijing Advanced Worker".

Li Demei has been involved in teaching, scientific research, and technical services related to grapes and wine, and has stationed in Ningxia and Xinjiang to provide social services for years. He has made outstanding contributions in using technology to aid poverty alleviation in border ethnic regions, in the research and promotion of grape and wine technologies, and in vigorously cultivating new talents who understand and love agriculture. He helped to establish a 100,000-mu (~666,7-ha) "National Standardized Demonstration Zone for Wine Grape Cultivation" in the Gobi Desert of Yanqi County, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, building the originally barren Gobi into an oasis with 400 kg of grapes per mu. For this achievement, he was awarded a Commendation with Major Merit in Beijing's Poverty Alleviation efforts and the title of "Exemplary Individual for Ethnic Unity and Progress in the Capital." He spearheaded the establishment of the Belt and Road International Grape and Wine Industry Science and Technology Innovation Research Institute, and the wines made under his guidance have won over 500 international awards. He authored the "Chinese Wine" entry for the Oxford Companion to Wine and was recognized by international media as one of the "Top Ten Most Influential Wine Consultants of the World." Dedicated to teaching and nurturing talents, he has pioneered a distinctive teaching model that "bases on production areas, integrates industry and education, and fosters international cooperation." He established Beijing's first brewing engineering major, undertook talent development projects funded by the China Scholarship Council, and provided intellectual and talent support for the high-quality implementation of the “One Hundred Village Demonstration and One Thousand Village Renovation Project." He has received honors such as "Educator Morality Model of Beijing" and "Outstanding Communist Party Member of Beijing Universities."