The Southwest Representative Office of the Geographical Society of China (GSC) held the constituent meeting on 21st November in Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment,CAS(IMHE). Cui Peng, Vice Director of GSC, Zhang Guoyou, Secretary-General of GSC, Yu Anli, Office Director of GSC, Deng Wei, Director of IMHE, Director-general Wei Fangqiang, Vice Director Zhou Jieming and Secretary-General Xiong Donghong from the Geographical Society of Sichuan, Yang Qingyuan, Secretary-General of Chongqing Geographical Society, He Daming and Hu Jinming, Vice Director-General and Secretary-General of the Geographical Society of Yunnan, Zhangning , Secretary-General of Mountain Branch of GSC attended this meeting which hosted by researcher Zhang Guoyou.

The inauguration ceremony of GSC(photo by IMHE)

On behalf of GSC, Zhang Guoyou delivered a speech about the main background, goal, necessity and importance of establishment of the Southwest Representative Office of the Geographical Society of China. He hoped the establishment of the Southwest Representative Office will build up effective academic exchange platform to strengthen the relation among society members, as well as carry out varied activities such as science education, academic workshop to improve the geography development, and make the most of the advantage of regional representative office to give better service for the broad masses of members.

Deng Wei showed sincere welcome to the leaders and attendants from GSC and provincial geographical society. He emphasized that the mountain region is characterized by obvious regional geographical difference, moreover, as an typical area for geographical science research and important treasury of biology, energy resource and culture, mountain region has important impact on national geographical pattern. He said that as an attached unit of the Southwest Representative Office of GSC, IMHE will provide important guarantee for the Southwest Representative Office, and launch extensive academic exchanges to actively attract the teachers and students from schools and colleges to participate in the activities of GSC, consequently, the geographical knowledge could be spread in broader areas.  

Cui Peng, Vice Director of GSC, hoped the construction of the Southwest Representative Office could expand the influence of the southwest regional research areas in the field of national geographical research, and solve the geographical frontier problems in the Southwest mountain, as well as play an important role in strengthening the academic status of the GSC.

During the meeting, delegations were active in discussion and in stating their opinions on organization structure and staffs arrangements of the Southwest Representative Office, preliminary idea of the regional representative council in 2013, as well as the agenda of the national meeting of the GSC in 2014.