Welcome to the International Citrus Congress 2008 in Wuhan, China

The 11 th International Citrus Congress will be held in Wuhan , China in late October of 2008. At that time, citrus researchers and enterprisers of citrus production and processing will gather in Wuhan to display their achievements, exhibit their products, exchange experiences and probe into the plans of international citrus development. Here, we extend our hearty welcome to all of you.

China is a beautiful, prosperous, ancient country with high civilization. It is a country famous not only for its Yangtze River, Yellow River and the world-renowned Great Wall, but also for the origin of world citriculture. A great number of varieties and species of citrus spread over a large area in China , who has a long history of citriculture . As early as 2400 years ago, the famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan composed the beautiful poem - "Ode to Citrus" (" Ju Song") which has lasted for thousands of years.

With the development of Chinese economy, citrus industry boomed. China has become one of the five major citrus production countries in the world. The cultivation area is the largest in the world, while the output is the third. In China , Citrus fruit is the second most popular fruit only next to apple. In the south, the output of citrus fruit amounts to half of that of all other fruit crops. From 1980 to 2002, China 's citrus growing acreage and output increased 6 times and 11 times respectively, amounting to 1.35 million hectares and 12 million tons. Citrus industry has already become a supporting industry in the rural areas in China .

Citrus is growing in 22 of the 34 provinces (including municipalities, autonomous regions or special administrative regions) in China . A great variety of citrus species such as orange, tangerine, pommelo , kumquat and lemon can be all found in China . The key growing areas in China are as follows: the sweet orange region by the Upper and Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, sweet orange region in South Jiangxi , North Guangxi and Hunan Provinces , the loose-skin mandarin region in Zhejiang and Fujian Provinces , Loose-skin mandarin Region in West of Hubei and Hunan Provinces . All the growing areas are distinctively divided, each has its own unique cultivation method and thus all have great potential to be developed. The Citrus Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Citrus Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University, the two important units which have been providing key technical support to the development of Chinese citrus industry, are situated in Chongqing and Wuhan , two important cities by the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze River .

Hubei Province , which is known as the "Province of a thousand lakes" is located in central China . The Yangtze River flows through the whole province. It is a part of the key citrus growing region by the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River . Wuhan , the capital of Hubei province, is a central city in the central China region and transportation center known for her thoroughfares and golden rivers leading to different regions inside China . Wuhan has a history of over 3000 years' history and its urban population is over 4 million. The Yangtze River intersects the Hanshui River inside the city. A lot of modern bridges with different architectural styles connect the three towns into a whole while the East Lake and other beautiful lakes dotted it. Cultural relics and places of historic interest, such as the Yellow Crane Tower , the Guiyuan Buddhist Temple and the Ancient Lute Terrace ( Guqintai ), were enclosed by the hills on one side and waters on the other. The Serial Bells made 2400 years ago, which are regarded as an important discovery in world music history is still preserved in the museum.

We will try our best to turn the 11 th International Citrus Congress into the most successful one and make our contribution to the success of world citriculture .

Let us meet in Wuhan , China in 2008!

Date of the Congress:

October 26-31, 2008

Tourism:

Located in central China , Wuhan is a transportation hub in China by railway, water and air and thus has very convenient transportation conditions. It is 800 - 1200 kilometers away from Beijing , Shanghai , Guangzhou , Hong Kong, Chongqing , Chengdu , Xi'an and Guiling . Any city in China can be reached within 2 hours by air.

Late October is the maturing season of citrus. The two sides of rivers, mountains and plains will all become more colorful because of the decoration of the orange fruit and oil green leaves. While you are touring around China before and after the congress, you may visit the major citrus growing regions in the Three Gorges Area, southern Jiangxi Province , southern Hunan Province , Zhejiang and Fujian Provinces .

Contact:

Secretariat of 11 th International Citrus Congress

President of ICC2008: Dr Xiuxin Deng

Address:

Huazhong Agricultural University

Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China

Telephone: +86 27 8728 1181

Fax: +86 27 8739 6057

Email Address: ICC2008@mail.hzau.edu.cn ; mailto:xxdeng@mail.hzau.edu.cn

Website: International Society of Citriculture