Su Ronghui's Speech at the Gathering of Celebrating XTBG's 50th Anniversary

Updated: 2009-07-10 14:25

Distinguished guests, Dear friends, Ladies and gentlemen,

Good Morning! Today, we gather together here to celebrate the 50th birthday / anniversary of XTBG. On behalf of CAS and CAS Bureau of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, I'd like to extend warm congratulations to all XTBG faculty, staff and students and express my sincere gratitude to government officials and all the friends who have been caring for and support the development of XTBG.

According to the overall arrangement of CAS, XTBG belongs to the "two institutes and three botanical gardens" engaged in basic biological research. XTBG has its root firmly planted in Yunnan yet keeps the whole world especially Chinese tropics and Southeastern Asian countries in view. XTBG has collected and conserved plant resources of national strategic importance and made rewarding achievements in forest ecology, conservation biology and resource plant science.

50 years ago, Prof. Cai Xitao and some other hopeful youngsters selected this frontier town to start their pioneering work to create this tropical botanical garden. Enduring untold difficulties and hardships, they inaugurated experiment fields, Library, Herbarium and laboratories. A special botanical garden thus came into being in dense tropical rainforest. Taking needs of the country and the people into account, they successfully conducted plant introduction and domestication, and sustainable utilization of tropical plant resources. Prof. Cai Xitao and many other pioneers have spent the entire life for the career of XTBG. On this special day, please allow me to pay sincere tribute to them.

In the era of reform and opening-up, especially implementation of the CAS Knowledge Innovation Program, XTBG is determined to carry out reform and innovation, which helps the Garden advance on the track of sound development at a fast speed.

XTBG's development is jointly supported by CAS and Yunnan Province. In 1999, the "Tropical Plant Resource Conservation and Its Sustainable Use" (or "Ten-thousand-Plant Species") program was inaugurated in XTBG. Upon its successful completion, XTBG has become one of the botanical gardens that preserve the richest outdoor plants in the world. It also has had a significant impact on the development history of botanical gardens. It helped XTBG find a new roadmap for steadfast development and make more contributions to the society.

In line with CAS overall arrangement, XTBG has readjusted its research orientations. By strengthening talents introduction and cultivation, expanding international cooperation and exchanges, XTBG has made greater progress in team building and scientific research and accomplished tasks assigned by CAS Knowledge Innovation Program. XTBG has also set up field stations and observation plots for forest ecology and conservation biology. Today, XTBG has become an important botanical garden both nationally and internationally.

Grasping opportunities of fast development in Yunnan Province, XTBG has closely integrated itself with social development. A lot of local ethnic youngsters serve as tour guides at XTBG to popularize knowledge on biodiversity and environment. With rich science content and strong flavor of local ethnic culture, the ecotourism in XTBG becomes very attractive. XTBG has become a central scenic area in XIshuangbanna and makes numerous contributions.

50 years' unremitting efforts of XTBG's staff for generations have turned XTBG into a comprehensive botanical garden engaged in scientific research, species conservation, public science education and technology development. I wish XTBG's goal of becoming a world first-class botanical garden be realized at an earlier date, so as to contribute more to science & technology innovation, and local development.

Distinguished guests, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a happy new year, good health, and all the best!

I wish the celebrations a complete success!

Thank you!

Editor: Li Jing