Translated from People’s Daily 10^th, August

From 4^th to 8^th ,August, the Fourth International Symposium on the Tibetan Plateau, jointly sponsored by CAS and Tibetan Autonomous Region opened in Lahsa. Prof. Sun Honglie presided over the meeting. Over 150 specialists and 300 scholars form more than 20 countries attended the symposium, sharing with each other altogether 336 research papers in concern, a number surpassing that in any of the former symposiums, said Prof Zheng Du, General Secretary of the symposium.

Prof Yao Tandong, director of ITP, mentioned three reasons, which attribute the Tibetan Plateau to the popular scientific spot. First of all, the forming of the Plateau changes the environment in China and Asia, even the globe as a whole. Meanwhile, geodynamics serves as a base for the evolution and forming of the Tibetan Plateau. Secondly, global change also has an impact on the Tibetan Plateau. Finally, the unique geological location of the Plateau makes it a special zone for studying natural environment and ecology.

Two scientific investigations are to be carried out after the symposium. One goes up the Yaluzangbu River to Ali region in the Tibet; the other is to climb over the south slope of the Mount Everest to Nepal.