South China Botanical Garden (SCBG) held the development and strategy workshop in Shunde City, Guangdong Province from 31 July to 2 August. Over 90 staff members including all SCBG leaders, principal investigators, directors-general of all departments, senior technicians, and parts of elder scientists participated in the workshop. Dr. SU Ronghui, Director of Comprehensive Planning Department at the CAS Bureau of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, was invited to this workshop.

The workshop was presided by Prof. HUANG Hongwen, the Director of SCBG. He first pointed out that the meeting was mainly to study and carry out the spirits of the recent enlarged summer session of the Leading-member Group of CPC at CAS. Then he presented a theme report on such issues as major innovation achievements, the development tendency of life science and biotechnology in the world, and targets for development of SCBG in future 5-10 years. In his keynote speech, Dr. Huang made an analysis on the SCBG's status at CAS, including actual conditions, advantages and disadvantages, and illuminated challenges and opportunities of SCBG. He firmly said that SCBG will become one of the three world top botanical gardens in 15 years via our efforts.

Dr. Su was invited to deliver a speech on development of biotechnology. He analyzed the latest development of biological science and illustrated the planning and strategy for life science at CAS.

During the three-day period, all the principal investigators and directors-general of departments not only presented reports about the research and working progress that had been made, but also submitted research and working aims in the future. In the end, many suggestions on development and construction of SCBG in the future were put forward.

Through the workshop, almost all staff members have become more confidence in SCBG's future.