A Chronology of Key Events in Polymer Research in China

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A Chronology of Polymer Research in China, written by Hu Hanjie, compiled by Xu Mao, Qiu Kunyuan, and others (October 2005). Before 1949, China had only a few enterprises engaged in the processing of natural rubber, leather, nitrocellulose (celloid), phenol-formaldehyde (bakelite), urea-formaldehyde (urethane), paints, and other polymer-related products. At the predecessor of the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences – namely the former Japanese puppet Science Academy and the Northeast Industrial Research Institute established in 1948 – there were some research efforts related to the application of cellulose and phenol-formaldehyde resins in polymer science. In October 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established. Feng Xinde began teaching polymer chemistry, specifically courses on polymerization reactions, at Tsinghua University. In 1951, Tang Aoqing and Liu Ruozhuang published a paper on statistical studies of polymer chain conformation in the journal “Acta Chimica Sinica”, volume 18, page 103 (1951). This was the first paper on polymer research in China, marking the beginning of theoretical research in this field. Under Tang Aoqing’s leadership, Jilin University conducted in-depth research on the statistical theories related to polymer condensation, addition, and crosslinking reactions; they received the Second Prize in the Natural Science Awards in 1989. In 1952, a research team led by Wang Baoren at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences began studying polymers such as plexiglass (poly(methyl methacrylate)) and nylon 6 (polycaprolactam). This marked the start of polymer chemistry research in China. Qian Renyuan carried out research on determining the molecular weight of polymers and studying polymer solutions at the Shanghai Institute of Physical Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (which was merged into the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry in November 1952), as well as at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. Qian Baogong began researching polymer viscoelasticity and polymer crystallization at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This marked the beginning of polymer physics research in China. Sichuan Institute of Chemical Technology established a major in plastic engineering, with Xu Xi in charge of it. The Rubber Engineering program in the Department of Chemical Engineering at South China Institute of Technology (now South China University of Technology) was established, with Liu Hong and Wang Mengzhong as its founders. In 1953, the synthesis of phenolic sulfonated resins was developed in our country, and research on silicone polymers began. The Department of Chemistry at Peking University established a specialty in polymer chemistry. Chengdu Institute of Technology (now integrated into Sichuan University) established a plastics major and began admitting undergraduate students in this field. From October 13 to 19, 1954, the Chinese Academy of Sciences held the first national conference on polymers in Beijing. 93 people attended the conference, and 32 papers were submitted; Wang Baoren was in charge of organizing the conference. East China Textile Institute (now Donghua University) established a program in chemical fibers, with Qian Baojun as its head. In 1955, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established a national \"Polymer Compounds Committee\", inviting experts from the Academy itself, universities, and industry sectors to participate. This committee was involved in formulating long-term and annual research plans, overseeing the implementation of these plans, and organizing academic conferences. The committee consisted of 17 members, with Zeng Zhaolun serving as the chairman, and Wang Baoren, Qian Baogong, and Wang Lin as vice chairmen. Hu Yadong serves as the committee secretary. (After the establishment of the **Science and Technology Commission in 1956, this task was taken over by the Polymer Group of that commission.) Around 1955, research on ion exchange resins began at institutions such as the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nankai University; work in this field contributed to the development of industrial separation technologies in China and helped improve the level of related industrial technologies. In 1987, the research on ion exchange resins carried out at Nankai University won the second prize in the **Natural Science Award. In 1956, polymer researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences moved to Beijing, where the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established, with polymer research as its main focus.) The project \"Research on the Determination of Molecular Weight of Polymer Compounds\" won the third prize of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Science Award in 1956. Lead contributors: Qian Renyuan et al.; main institutions: Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1957, ”Polymer Communications,” sponsored by the Polymer Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society, was launched and ceased publication in 1960. Around the same time, Xu Xi began research on plastic processing in Chengdu, marking the start of polymer engineering (polymer molding) research in China. In 1958, Feng Xinde established a teaching and research section for polymer chemistry at Peking University; this was the first such section in a Chinese university. A chloroprene rubber factory with an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons was built at the Changshou Chemical Factory in Sichuan, with some of the technical expertise coming from the Soviet Union and some from the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This was China’s first modern polymer industry. In 1958, the book ”Determination of the Molecular Weight of Polymers” by Qian Renyuan was published; it was the first monograph in the field of polymers in China. This book won the third prize in the Science Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1956. The University of Science and Technology of China established China’s first department in the field of polymers – the Department of Polymer Chemistry and Polymer Physics. Nankai University set up a polymer science program, headed by He Binglin. The Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, began research on nickel-catalyzed polymerization for the production of cis-butadiene rubber. With the cooperation of units such as Jinzhou Petroleum Plant No. 6, Lanzhou Research Institute of Chemical Industry, and Beijing Yanshan Shengli Chemical Factory, this technology was put into industrial use in 1971, enabling China’s cis-butadiene rubber to reach world-class standards in terms of quality and production technology. In 1982, two **Natural Science Awards** were received; in 1985, a special prize for **Scientific and Technological Progress** was awarded. In 1959, the “Beijing Synthetic Fiber Experimental Factory” was established in Beijing, utilizing technology from East Germany, with an annual production capacity of 1,000 tons of nylon 6 (known in China as “Jinlan”). This marked the birth of China’s first fiber industry. From December 2 to 8, the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Industry under the Ministry of Chemical Industry jointly held the second national conference on polymers in Beijing, titled “Conference on Plastics and Fibers.” 516 participants attended the conference, which featured 116 research papers. The Department of Chemistry at Sun Yat-sen University established a teaching and research section for polymers, headed by Lin Shang’an. In 1960, Soviet scientists Karkin and Snolimsky visited China and gave lectures. Karkin reported on topics such as \"the development directions of polymer chemistry\" and \"the ordering processes and crystallization mechanisms of amorphous polymers\", while Slonimsky gave a lecture on \"polymer physical systems\"; their presentations contributed to the advancement of polymer physics research in China. The polymer science textbook titled \"Principles of Polymer Chemistry\" written by Xu Xi has been published. In 1961, the 3rd National Polymer Academic Conference, namely the “Academic Symposium on Polymer Physics,” was held in Changchun. 250 people attended the conference, with 107 papers presented. The 4th National Polymer Science Conference was held in Chengdu from November 1 to 7, 1962. Out of * representatives, 293 people were involved, and a total of 170 papers were received. The Lanhua Rubber Factory introduced Soviet technology to establish a polystyrene production line with an annual output of 1,000 tons; this was China’s first plastic manufacturing industry. The Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) and the Shanghai Institute of Synthetic Rubber collaborated to start research on fluorinated polymers. In 1963, the Chinese Chemical Society held its annual conference in Qingdao from July 30 to August 7. Approximately 320 people submitted papers, and 315 papers were accepted. At the annual meeting of the Chinese Chemical Society, a committee for polymer science was established. In 1963, \"Polymer Communications\" was revived. In 1964, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, a Polymer Research Institute was set up at Chengdu Institute of Technology (now integrated into Sichuan University), with Xu Xi as its director. In 1965, the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences began researching the use of rare earths as catalysts for the polymerization-based synthesis of cis-butadiene rubber; later, in collaboration with Jinzhou Petroleum Plant No. 6, this research was successfully brought to industrial application. In 1988, this work won the third prize in the **Invention Award**. In 1966, the journal “Polymer Communications” ceased publication. 1966----1976 **Life. Over the past decade, academic activities related to polymers across the country were largely on hold, with only the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a few universities continuing to carry out limited research work. In 1970, the petrochemical plant of Lanzhou Lanhua Company introduced British technology to build a production line capable of producing 5,000 tons of polypropylene per year, as well as a production line that could manufacture 34,500 tons of low-density polyethylene per year. This marked the establishment of China’s first polyolefin industry. In 1971, the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing began research on conductive polymers (research on “organic semiconductors” had been carried out around 1963, but no results were achieved). Later, under the leadership of Qian Renyuan, work was started in the field of organic solids, and a series of achievements were made: the research on organic metal conductors conducted in collaboration with the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences won the Second Prize in the Natural Science Award in 1987; research on conductive polypyrrole earned another Second Prize in the Natural Science Award in 1995. Other domestic efforts in the field of \"organic solids\" include: research on nonlinear optical polymers began in 1987; the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences started working on magnetic polymers in 1987, and in 1989 Sichuan Normal University synthesized polymer complexes that exhibited magnetism at room temperature. The 5th National Polymer Science Conference was held in Changchun in November 1972. 141 papers were presented at the conference. At the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, American scientist Mark Herman came to China in June to give lectures, delivering an academic presentation on B fibers, and subsequently visited research institutes and factories in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and other places. Mark H.’s visit to China promoted the research on polymer liquid crystals in our country. The Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) and the Shanghai Research Institute of Synthetic Fibers began research on polymer liquid crystals in China by focusing on the synthesis and spinning of aramid (poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide)). In 1985, Zhou Qifeng synthesized crust-like main-chain polymer liquid crystal compounds; this work, titled “Research on Crust-like Liquid Crystal Polymers” (rigid liquid crystal polymers with side chains), won the Third Prize in the **Natural Science Award in 1997. The bimonthly magazine “Synthetic Fibers,” published by the Shanghai Synthetic Fiber Research Institute, was launched. In 1976, China began research on anionic polymerization. (Based on fundamental research in anionic polymerization, in 1978 the former Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology (now Beijing University of Chemical Technology) and the Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Research Institute collaborated to start research on the synthesis of SBS using the anionic polymerization method. By 1990, an industrial production technique for SBS on a scale of ten thousand tons was developed at the Yanshan Petrochemical Research Institute; this technology was later transferred to synthetic rubber companies in Italy and Taiwan. Today, SBS has become an important type of synthetic rubber in China.) In October 1978, the Chinese Chemical Society’s Symposium on Polymer Physics was held in Hefei (the sixth national polymer conference?) ). The conference was co-organized by the Department of Modern Chemistry at the University of Science and Technology of China. The main persons in charge of the meeting were Qian Renyuan, Ma Dezhu, Xu Mao, and others. The Polymer Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society resumed its activities, with Wang Baoren appointed as chairman, and Feng Xinde, Qian Renyuan, Qian Baogong, and He Binglin serving as vice chairmen. The journal “Polymer Communications,” published by the Polymer Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society, was restarted for publication. Meanwhile, the bimonthly magazine “Synthetic Rubber Industry,” sponsored by Lanhua Company of China National Petroleum Corporation and the Synthetic Rubber Technology Development Center of CNPC, was launched. The Institute of Materials Science at South China Institute of Technology (now South China University of Technology) was established with the approval of the **Education Commission, with Luo Xiongcai as its director. The work covers the three major material fields of polymers, metals, and inorganic materials. The 7th National Polymer Conference was held in Suzhou from April 23 to 29, 1979. Research on medical polymers began in China, with key institutions including Peking University, the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nankai University, and Wuhan University. In 1999, a collaborative effort by Peking University, Nankai University, Wuhan University, and Nanjing University resulted in the achievement “Research on Several Biomedical Polymers,” which won the third prize in the **Natural Science Award. The Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences started researching chemical degradation methods to reduce the spinning temperature for polypropylene; in 1982, it developed new polypropylene spinning techniques that were at the international advanced level of the 1980s. This work received the third prize in the **Invention Award in 1980 and the first prize in the **Science and Technology Progress Award in 1989. The first Sino-US bilateral polymer conference was held in Beijing from October 5 to 10. A 12-member American delegation led by Flory, P.J., set off*. A total of 30 papers were presented at the conference. The Chinese representatives at the meeting included Liu Dagang, Wang Baoren, Qian Renyuan, and others. In November 1980, Wang Baoren, Feng Xinde, Qian Renyuan, Qian Baogong, and He Binglin were appointed as members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (later renamed academicians). The First International Symposium on Free Radical Polymerization was held in Osaka, Japan, from November 5 to 6. 14 papers were presented. The lead researcher on the Japanese side is Takayuki Otsu (Osaka City University), while the lead researcher on the Chinese side is Feng Xinde. (Subsequent conferences were held in Beijing in 1982, Japan in 1984, Chengdu in 1986, Osaka in 1988, and Guilin in 1991, before being merged into the “East Asian Polymer Conference”. ) In 1981, the “Gel Chromatography Conference” was held in Guilin. The “Academic Conference on Functional Polymers” organized by the Chinese Chemical Society was held in Kunming from September 11 to 15. Those marked with * represent 134 people, with a total of 70 papers presented for exchange. The Sino-Japanese Symposium on Polymer Science and Technology was held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 26 to 29. A Chinese delegation of 23 members, led by Wang Baoren, attended the meeting. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Society of Polymer Science. The Japanese officials in charge include Ichirō Sakurada and Akio Nakajima, among others. A total of 45 papers were presented at the conference. (Three further Sino-Japanese bilateral polymer conferences were held later, in Beijing in 1984 and in Guangzhou in 1990. Subsequently, the Sino-Japanese bilateral polymer conference and the Sino-Japanese free radical polymerization conference merged and expanded to become the East Asian Polymer Conference, with its first meeting held in 1995.) In December 1982, the first “Teaching Symposium on Polymer Chemistry and Physics” for university institutions was held at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou; Lin Shang’an was in charge of it, with 180 participants and 60 papers presented. The 2nd Sino-Japanese Symposium on Radical Polymerization was held in Beijing from May 11 to 13. A total of 24 papers were presented and discussed. The conference host is Feng Xinde. The project “Rare Earth Catalysis for Diene Reactions” won the Second Prize in the **Natural Science Award in 1982. Main contributors: Ouyang Jun, Shen Zhiquan, Wang Fosong; Institution responsible for the completion: Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. “The Study on the Relationship between Microstructure and Properties of Carbon Fibers and Carbon/Carbon Composites” won the third prize in the **Natural Science Award in 1982. Lead contributor: Zeng Hanmin, Institution: Sun Yat-sen University. The English version of “Polymer Communications” has been approved for publication; its Chinese translation is “Polymer Communications”. Editor-in-Chief: Wang Baoren. In November 1983, the 8th National Polymer Science Conference was held in Hangzhou. The conference was organized by the Department of Chemistry at Zhejiang University, with 387 representatives attending and 317 papers presented for discussion. In 1983, a bilateral academic conference on \"organic solid conductivity and related phenomena\" between China and Japan was held (?). (Subsequent bilateral meetings were held in 1986, 1989, 1992, and so on.) “Characterization of Polybutadiene Rubber Produced by Rare Earth Catalysis” won the third prize in the **Natural Sciences Award in 1983. Main contributors: Qian Baogong, Yu Fusheng, Cheng Rongshi, etc.; Institution responsible for the completion: Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1984, a research conference on the physics of polymer processing was held in Jinshan, Shanghai, with Qian Renyuan, Xu Mao, and others serving as organizers. The bimonthly magazine “Synthetic Resins and Plastics,” sponsored by the Research Institute of Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Company, was founded. “The “Symposium on Academic Papers on Polymers with Special Properties” (Functional Polymers) was held in Guilin, organized by Feng Xinde. Nankai University established an Institute of Polymer Chemistry, with He Binglin as its director. In 1985, the former journal \"Polymer Communications\" was renamed \"Acta Polymerica Sinica\". In the same year, Nankai University founded two journals: \"Ion Exchange and Adsorption\" (which became bimonthly starting in 1987) and \"Chinese Journal of Reactive Polymers\"; Mr. He Binglin served as the editor-in-chief of both journals. The 9th National Polymer Conference was held in Beijing from August 23 to 26, with Wang Baoren and Jiao Shuke from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in charge of the conference organization. 379 conference delegates attended, with a total of 355 papers presented for exchange. The bimonthly journal “Polymer Materials Science and Engineering”, sponsored by the former Institute of Polymers at Chengdu University of Science and Technology (now the Institute of Polymers at Sichuan University), was founded. The 1st Sino-Japanese-American Symposium on Macromolecular Metal Complexes was held in Beijing from October 20 to 23. Out* represents 68 people, with 62 papers presented. The 1st Symposium on Reactive Polymers (Ion Exchange and Adsorption) of the Chinese Chemical Society was held in Yibin in November. The conference was organized by Yibin Tianyuan Chemical Factory, Nankai University, and the editorial board of \"Ion Exchange and Adsorption.\" He Binglin served as the main person in charge of the conference. 71 papers were presented at the conference. (And then held every one or two years, as a series of meetings). The Institute of Materials Science at Sun Yat-sen University was established, with Zeng Hanmin as its director. In 1986, the **National Natural Science Foundation of China was established**. It set up the discipline of “Polymer Science” under the Department of Chemistry, and the discipline of “Polymer Materials” under the Department of Engineering and Materials Science; these two disciplines are responsible for funding and managing basic research in the field of polymers across the country. From then on, there were dedicated funding channels for polymer research and academic activities. “The previous heads of the “Polymer Science” discipline were Hu Hanjie (1986–2001) and Tung Chee-hwa (2002–) ； “The previous heads of the “Polymer Materials” discipline were Zhang Chaoquan (1986–1987), Wei He (1987–1988), Feng Hanbao (1989–1993), Jin Zuliang (1994–1995), Huang Lan (1996–1997), Dong Jianhua (1997–2001), and Ma Jin (2001–present). Mr. Wang Baoren, a renowned polymer chemist and organic chemist in our country, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry, passed away in Beijing on June 12 at the age of 80. The Sino-German Symposium on Polymer Science, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Society of West Germany, was held in Beijing from September 21 to 23. The German delegation, headed by Wegner, W., consisted of 16 members, while the Chinese delegation had 32 members. A total of 34 papers were presented at the conference. The main organizers of the conference were Qian Renyuan, Feng Xinde, Wang Fosong, Zhu Lilan, and others. (Another conference was held in Mainz, West Germany, in 1989; in 2000, a Sino-German bilateral academic conference on \"Organometallic Catalysts and Olefin Polymerization\" was held in Hangzhou, and the second such Sino-German bilateral conference was held in Germany in 2003.) In December, an academic symposium on \"Polymer Chemistry and Physics\" for universities was held at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, organized by Lin Shang’an; 112 people attended the event, and 68 papers were presented. The “Academic Conference on Polymer Chemistry and Fine Polymers” was held in Guangzhou, with Feng Xinde from Peking University and Zou Han from Jinan University in charge of the conference; approximately 500 people attended. The English version of “Polymer Communications” has been renamed “Chinese Journal of Polymer Science”, while its Chinese translation has also been renamed “Polymer Science”. The first National Conference on Polymer Liquid Crystalline States, organized by the Chinese Chemical Society, was held in Shanghai from March 17 to 21, 1987. The symbol “ out *” represents 62 people. The main persons in charge of the meeting include Qian Renyuan, among others. The 10th National Polymer Conference was held in Wuhan from October 13 to 17. Qian Baogong and Liu Jiwan from Wuhan University were in charge of the conference; 668 representatives attended, and 677 papers were presented for discussion. In addition to the academic presentations, three thematic seminars were held on “Polyolefins,” “Polymers and High Technologies,” and “Fundamental Research.” In 1987, the International Conference on Polymer-Metal Complexes was held in Tokyo, Japan, initiated by Jiang Yinghan from China and Hidetoshi Tsuchida from Japan. (Later, in 1988, in Hefei,????? it became a series of conferences on polymers.) In 1987, Nankai University’s project on “The Structure and Properties of Macroporous Ion Exchange Resins and New Types of Adsorption Resins” won the Second Prize in the **Natural Sciences Award. Main contributors: He Binglin, Zhang Quanxing, Shi Zuoqing, Qian Tingbao, etc. \"Research on Organometallic Conductors\" won the Second Prize in the **Natural Sciences Award in 1987. Main contributors: Qian Renyuan, Zhu Daoben, Bi Xiantong, Wang Fosong, Cao Yong, Wan Meixiang, etc.; institutions responsible for the completion: Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry. In 1987, the research on \"Degradation and grafting of polymers under ultrasonic radiation, as well as block copolymerization\", led by Xu Xi from the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology (now Sichuan University), won the **Second Prize in the Natural Sciences Award. This research began in 1981. The project on \"Polymerization of olefins in the presence of amines and the initiation mechanism\" received the **Third Prize in the Natural Sciences Award in 1987. Principal contributors: Feng Xinde, Qiu Kunyuan, Cao Weixiao, etc.; Institution responsible for the completion: Peking University. \"Fundamental Research on the Polymerization, Copolymerization, and Applications of Novel High-Efficiency Catalysts for Ethylene and Olefins\" won the Fourth Prize in the **Natural Sciences Award in 1987. Main contributors: Lin Shang’an, Wang Haihua, Lu Yun, etc.; institution responsible for the completion: Sun Yat-sen University. In October 1987, the Polymer Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society had its leadership changed; Qian Renyuan served as chairman, while Feng Xinde, Qian Baogong, He Binglin, Huang Baotong, and Lin Shangan served as vice chairmen. The former Ministry of Light Industry and the Plastic Processing and Application Research Institute under that ministry founded the monthly magazine “China Plastics”. (The current organizers are the China Plastics Processing Industry Association and the Research Institute of Plastic Processing Applications in the Light Industry.) The 1st International Symposium on Fine Chemistry and Functional Polymers (FCFP-I) was held in Hefei. Organizers: University of Science and Technology of China, **National Natural Science Foundation of China. Key persons in charge: Jiang Yingyan, Xu Wenying. 83 papers were presented. (Subsequent series of conferences were held in Xi’an in 1988, Lanzhou in 1990, Hangzhou in 1992, Jinan in 1994, Zhengzhou in 1996, Baoding in Hebei in 1997, Haikou in 1999, Jinan again in 2000, Hailar in 2001, Lanzhou in 2002, Quanzhou in 2003, Hohhot in 2004, and Shanghai in 2005.) In 1988, \"Polymer Bulletin\", published in collaboration by the Polymer Committee and the Chemical Industry Press, was launched. East China University of Science and Technology founded the Journal of Functional Polymers (quarterly). The “International Conference on Polymer-Metal Complexes” was held in Hefei at the University of Science and Technology of China in May, with Jiang Yingyan and Xu Wenying as the organizers. About 100 people attended the meeting. The “International Conference on Polymer Chemistry and Fine Polymers” was held in Nanjing in October. Feng Xinde and the Nanjing Chemical Industry Bureau were in charge of organizing the conference, which was attended by around 100 people. The “Polymer Functional Materials Conference” was held in Kunming in December, with Feng Xinde, He Binglin, and the Yunnan Chemical Industry Department responsible for organizing it. **The “International Symposium on Water-Soluble Polymers”, jointly initiated and organized by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Chemical Society, and the Institute of Polymer Science at Fujian Normal University, was held in Fuzhou from December 1 to 4. 50 scholars from home and abroad participated, with 55 papers presented for exchange. In 1989, Jilin University began research on supramolecular assembly. In 2004, its research achievements in this field, titled \"Layered Assembly and Functions of Organic and Polymer Systems,\" won the Second Prize in the Natural Sciences Award. A bilateral Chinese-Italian academic conference on polymers was held in Genoa, Italy, from October 11 to 13. Qian Renyuan (Wang Fosong? ) A 13-member Chinese delegation led by the head of the delegation attended the meeting. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Italian Society for Polymer Science and Technology. The Italian representative is Russo, S. The second “Academic Conference on Liquid Crystal Polymers” was held at Zhengzhou University in April, with Zhou Qifeng, Wang Jingwu, and Li Zifa as the organizers. In November, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the \"Joint Open Laboratory for Polymer Physics\" based on the research work conducted by the Institute of Chemistry and the Institute of Applied Chemistry. The \"Open Laboratory for Cellulose Chemistry\" was set up at the former Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (In 2001, it was renamed the \"Key Laboratory of Cellulose Chemistry\”; in 2002, the Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was renamed Guangzhou Chemistry Co., Ltd., Chinese Academy of Sciences.) The 11th National Polymer Science Conference was held in Chengdu from November 14 to 18, 1989, with Xu Xi and Chengdu University of Science and Technology taking charge of the organization of the conference. Approximately 900 people attended it. The project on \"Statistical Theory of Polycondensation, Polyaddition, and Crosslinking Reactions\" won the second prize in the **Natural Science Award for 1989. Principal contributors: Tang Aoqing, Shen Jiacong; Institution responsible for the completion: Jilin University. The project \"Development of Polypropylene Resins for Polypropylene Use, Industrial Pilot Production and Applications\" won the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress in 1989. The main contributors were Xu Duanfu, Qian Renyuan, Yang Wentong, Fan Qingrong, etc., while the main implementing institution was the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1989, Bu Haishan from Fudan University published a paper on polymer single-chain crystals, and thereafter research on polymer single chains gained attention within China’s field of polymer physics. Qian Renyuan gathered several researchers in this field to conduct in-depth studies, and the results of these efforts were recognized in 1999 as one of the key components of the research on “Some Fundamental Physical Problems in Polymer Condensed States,” earning them the Second Prize in the Natural Science Award. In 1989, South China University of Technology began researching “electromagnetic dynamic polymer molding machinery”; this work progressed toward industrial application by 1995, and in 1997 it won the Second Prize in the Technical Invention Award. In 1989, Sichuan Normal University synthesized polymer complexes with significant magnetic properties at room temperature for the first time on an international scale. In 1990, Nanjing University and the Joint Open Laboratory for Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly organized the first national conference on polymer physics in Nanjing. 170 papers were presented. The persons in charge of the meeting were Xu Mao, Yang Changzheng, Shi Lianghe, Feng Zhiliu, and others. (Subsequently, five more academic conferences were held in Dalian in 1991, Chengdu in 1993, Zhengzhou in 1994, and Changchun in 1996. Later, as China organized a series of international conferences on polymer physics, domestic conferences on this subject were no longer held separately.) In September, the “Sino-Japanese Academic Symposium on Polymer Science and Materials” was organized in Guangzhou by the Chinese Chemical Society, the Japanese Society of Polymer Science, and Sun Yat-sen University. The Chinese representatives were Lin Shang’an and Qian Renyuan, while the Japanese representative was Tōmura Toshinobu. A total of 220 people attended the conference, which featured 264 research papers. The 3rd International Symposium on Fine Chemistry and Functional Polymers (FCFP-III) was held in Lanzhou. Organizers: Lanzhou Normal University, **National Natural Science Foundation of China. Key persons in charge: Wang Yunpu, Jiang Yingyan, Gao Jinzhang. 120 papers were presented. In April 1991, the “Academic Conference on Polymer Liquid Crystalline States” was held at Shandong University in Jinan, with Qian Renyuan, Zhou Qifeng, and Zhang Qizhen as the organizers. In April, an academic symposium on polymer chemistry and physics for the university community was held at Fudan University in Shanghai. **In the field of polymers, the following **Key Laboratories** have been established: the Key Laboratory of Engineering Plastics (located at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences); the Key Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Functional Polymer Materials (located at Nankai University in Tianjin); the Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering (located at the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology in Chengdu, now part of Sichuan University); the Key Laboratory of Fiber Material Modification (located at the former China Textile University in Shanghai, now Donghua University); and the Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering (located at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou). **The Ministry of Education established an “Open Laboratory for Molecular Spectroscopy and Molecular Structure” at Jilin University. (It was renamed the \"Open Laboratory for Supramolecular Structures and Spectroscopy\" in 1993, and then the Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education on \"Supramolecular Structures and Materials\" in 2002.) ) In August 1991, the first national academic conference in the field of supramolecular assembly research was held in Changchun. (Subsequently, a series of subsequent conferences were held, and an international conference on the field of supramolecules was convened in Beijing in 2001.) Jilin University’s research achievements in this field, titled “Layered Assembly and Functions of Organic and Polymer Systems,” won the **Second Class Natural Science Award in 2004. Xu Xi, Huang Baotong, Cheng Rongshi, Shen Jiacong, and Wang Fosong were elected as academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The “International Symposium on Biological Materials and Advanced Polymers” (Functional Polymers) was held in Guilin in October; the organizers of the conference were Feng Xinde, He Binglin, Yang Boshou, and Che Rongrui. A total of 117 papers were presented at the conference. The Sino-Japanese-Soviet Academic Conference on High-Tech Polymers was held in Moscow, Soviet Union, from September 15 to 21. The host from the Soviet side was Kabanov, V.A. A Chinese delegation of 9 members, led by Qian Renyuan, attended the meeting. The three parties agreed that the next meeting will be held in China. The IUPAC International Symposium on Olefin and Vinyl Polymerization and Functionalization—Reaction, Mechanism and Industrial Application was held in Hangzhou from October 14 to 18. The conference chairs were Feng Xinde and Yang Shilin. The number of participants was 120, with 111 papers submitted. The Joint Open Laboratory for Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences held a \"Polymer Physics Academic Conference\" in Dalian from October 21 to 25. The theme of the conference is “Phase behavior, phase structure, and properties of multi-component polymer systems”. A total of 123 papers were exchanged. The persons in charge of the meeting were Jiang Bingzheng, Yu Fengnian, Jiang Ming, and others. The International Polymer Processing Society Asia/Australia Regional Meeting was held in Shanghai in 1991. The conference was hosted by the Institute of Polymer Materials at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Institute of Polymer Science at Chengdu University of Science and Technology, and the **Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering. The main persons in charge are Xu Xi and Wang Zongguang. The project \"Bioactive Polymers with 5-Fluorouracil as a Key Link\" won the 4th Prize in the **Natural Sciences Award in 1991. Principal investigator: Zhuo Renxi; Institution responsible for the completion: Wuhan University. The project “Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of Aniline-Based Conducting Polymers” won the **Third Prize in Natural Sciences in 1991. Completing unit: Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences; main contributors: Wang Fosong, Jing Xiabin, etc. On March 17, 1992, Mr. Qian Baogong, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a renowned polymer scientist, and former director of the Wuhan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, passed away in Wuhan at the age of 76. The First Sino-British Bilateral Symposium on Polymer Science was held in Beijing from April 15 to 19. The conference was chaired by Qian Renyuan, chairman of the Polymer Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society. A total of 29 Chinese representatives attended the meeting. A 17-member British delegation led by Allen, G., a jazz musician, set off*. Approximately 40 papers were presented and discussed at the conference. It was agreed that the second Sino-British bilateral symposium on polymer science would be held in the UK in 1994. On August 15, the 12th National Polymer Conference was held in Changchun, with Qian Renyuan, Shen Jiacong, and Jilin University taking charge of the organization of the conference. Out* represents 501 people, with 499 papers presented. Nankai University founded the English-language journal “Chinese J. of Reactive Polymer” (semi-annual). Mr. He Binglin serves as the editor-in-chief. The 4th International Symposium on Fine Chemistry and Functional Polymers (FCFP-IV) was held in Hangzhou. Organizers: Zhejiang University, **National Natural Science Foundation of China. Key persons in charge: Shen Zhiquan, Jiang Yingyan, Huang Zhenhua, Zhu Kangjie, Xu Youyi. 182 papers were presented. From October 26 to 29, 1993, the Joint Open Laboratory for Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized the 1st \"International Conference on Polymer Physics\" in Beijing. The conference organizers are Shi Lianghe, Masatoshi Kobayashi (Japan), Xu Xiaolin (USA), Xu Mao, and others. A total of 29 papers were presented at the conference. (Subsequent conferences were held in Xi’an in 1995, Guilin in 1997, Huangshan in 2000, Qingdao in 2002, and Dali in 2004.) From April 2 to 4, the Joint Open Laboratory of Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized the “National Conference on Polymer Physics” in Chengdu. The theme of the conference is “Physical Research on Polymer Processing Processes”. 63 papers were presented. The meeting was led by Wu Dacheng, Xu Duanfu, and others. The Asia Symposium on Polymerization Reaction was held from June 5 to 7 in Otsu, Japan. 25 papers were presented. Chairperson of the conference: Akiji Iwatsuki (Mie University). The 2nd Sino-Japanese-Russian Academic Conference on High-Tech Polymers was held in Beijing from October 4 to 8. The Chinese representatives at the meeting were Wang Fosong and Xu Maow. A total of 32 papers were presented at the conference. The three parties agreed that the next meeting will be held in Japan. The China-Korea Bilateral Polymer Conference will be held in Beijing. (The second one was held in Seoul in 1995). The project “Rare Earth-Catalyzed Substitution in Olefin Polymerization” won the third prize in the **Natural Sciences Award in 1993. Lead contributors: Shen Zhiquan et al., Institution responsible for the work: Zhejiang University. The former **Education Commission established the ’Polymer Composites and Functional Materials’ Open Laboratory of the Education Commission at Sun Yat-sen University** (which was renamed the ’Key Laboratory of Polymer Composites and Functional Materials of the Ministry of Education’ in 1999) ； The “Ministry of Education Open Laboratory for Biomedical Polymers” was established at Wuhan University. (In September 2003, it was renamed the \"Key Laboratory of Biological and Medical Polymers of the Ministry of Education\"). Lin Shang’an was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The journal \"Cellulose Science and Technology\", sponsored by the Key Laboratory of Cellulose Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was launched. In January 1994, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the \"Open Laboratory for Organic Solids of the Chinese Academy of Sciences\" at the Institute of Chemistry. (In 2001, it was renamed the \"Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Chinese Academy of Sciences\"). In February, with the approval of the **Education Ministry**, the \"Open Laboratory for Polymer Molecular Engineering\" was established at Fudan University (in September 1999, it was renamed the \"Key Laboratory of Polymer Molecular Engineering, Ministry of Education\"). From October 25th to 28th, the Joint Open Laboratory for Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized a \"Conference on Polymer Physics\" at Zhengzhou University. The theme of the conference is “Characterization of Polymers”. 122 papers were presented. The persons in charge of the meeting were Yang Huichang, Zhou Enle, Wang Jingwu, and others. From September 6 to 9, the “IUPAC International Conference on Liquid Crystal Polymers” was held in Beijing, with Zhou Qifeng from Peking University serving as the organizer. Number of participants: 100, number of papers: 53, organizer: Peking University. The 3rd “National Conference on Deformation, Damage, and Failure of Polymer Materials” was held in Chengdu from October 5 to 10. The conference was organized by the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering, the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, and the Chinese Chemical Society, and was hosted by the **Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering. The main organizers were Xu Xi, Zhu Zhaoxiang, and others. Out* represents 38 people, with 56 papers presented. In November, the former **Planning Commission established the ’Rubber and Plastic Materials Engineering Research Center’ at the Sinopec Yanshan Petrochemical Research Institute in Beijing. In the same month, the ’International Academic Conference on Medical Polymers’ was held at Wuhan University, organized by Zhuo Renxi and Feng Xinde, with around 100 participants in attendance. Ji Guobiao (formerly from the **Textile Industry Bureau) was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In 1995, the “Asian Symposium on Polymerization and Fine Polymers” was held in Kaifeng from April 20 to 25. 103 papers were presented. The conference chairs were Qiu Kunyuan and Li Fumian. The “1st World Conference of Young Chinese Chemists” was held at Peking University in May. It was organized by the School of Chemistry at Peking University, with around 60 scholars from home and abroad attending the conference. This has promoted connections between overseas scholars and those in China in the field of polymers. From August 25 to 28, the Joint Open Laboratory of Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized the 2nd \"International Conference on Polymer Physics\" in Xi’an. The conference was chaired by Xu Mao, Chiyoaki Yamaji (Japan), Xu Xiaolin (USA), Kim Hee-gon, and others. A total of 77 papers were presented at the conference. The China-Japan Bilateral Symposium on Polymer Material Science was held in Huangshan City from September 21 to 26. The conference was organized by the University of Science and Technology of China, with Pan Caiyuan and Toshiyuki Uryu as the chairpersons. 67 people participated, with 47 papers presented for exchange. At Jiang Ming’s initiative, the 24th Polymer Science Committee established an informal newsletter titled “Polymer Express,” aimed primarily at facilitating information exchange among polymer scientists of Chinese origin both domestically and internationally. The specific organizers were Jiang Ming, Hu Hanjie, Xu Mao, Feng Linxian, and others. (It was later discontinued in 1999 due to the lack of dedicated staff to handle it.) ) In November, Fudan University organized the first East Asian Polymer Academic Conference in Shanghai. The persons in charge of the meeting are Yang Yuliang, Jiang Ming, Fu Shoukuan, and others. (Subsequent meetings were held in ** in 1999 and in Chengdu in 2004.) Zhuo Renxi was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Five scholars—Xu Duanfu (Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Yuan Qingtang (Sinopec Corporation), Mao Bingquan (Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Sinopec), Yu Mingfang (Shanghai Research Institute of Synthetic Fibers), and Gao Congjie (**Hangzhou Water Treatment Technology R&D Center, State Oceanic Administration))—were elected academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Shi Gaoquan, Xue Qi, and others from Nanjing University published a paper on the electrochemical polymerization of polythiophenes in the journal Science (1995, 276: 944). This was the first time that research on polymers conducted in China was published in one of the world’s most prestigious journals. The results of a series of studies in this area, titled “Chemical and Electrochemical Polymerization of Organic Heterocyclic Compounds on Metal Surfaces” (a joint achievement of Nanjing University and Tsinghua University), won the Second Prize in the Natural Sciences Award in 2004. The 13th National Polymer Conference was held in Guangzhou in December; Wang Fosong, Lin Shang’an, Cong Guangmin, along with representatives from Sun Yat-sen University and the Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry, were responsible for organizing the conference. Approximately 500 people attended the conference, which featured 587 papers. \"Research on Conductive Polypyrrole\" won the Second Prize of the **Natural Science Award in 1995. Main contributors: Qian Renyuan, Li Yongfang, Bi Xiantong, Pei Qibing, Yan Baozhen; Main institution: Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1996, the **Ministry of Education established the \"Ministry of Education Open Laboratory for Bioactive Materials\" at Nankai University**. (In 1999, it was renamed the “Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials under the Ministry of Education”). In March, the **Planning Commission approved the establishment of the **Papermaking and Pollution Control Engineering Research Center at South China University of Technology. In August, the “Academic Conference on Polymer Liquid Crystalline States” was held at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, with Zhou Qifeng, Qian Renyuan, and Zhou Enle as the organizers. The Joint Open Laboratory for Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized a “Academic Conference on Polymer Physics” at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry. The 1st Cross-Strait Polymer Academic Exchange Conference in China was held in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in November. The person in charge from the mainland is Wang Fosong, while the one from Taiwan is Chen Shouan. 35 papers were presented at the conference, with 15 representatives coming from the mainland. (Subsequent conferences were held in Beijing in 1997, Taiwan in 1999, Wuyi Mountain in 2001, and Taipei in 2004.) The 1st International Symposium on High-tech Polymers and Polymeric Complexes (HPPC-I) was held in Lanzhou. Organizers: Lanzhou Normal University, **National Natural Science Foundation of China. Key persons in charge: Wang Yunpu, Jiang Yingyan. 91 papers were presented. In 1997, the 1st East Asia Symposium on Polymers for Advanced Technology was held in Urumqi from August 6 to 10. The chairpersons of the conference are Wang Fosong (China), Hidetoshi Tsuchida (Japan), Kim Eun-yong (South Korea), and Kabanov, V.A. (Russia). 11 representatives from the Chinese side attended. 44 representatives presented papers at the conference. The 14th National Polymer Conference was held in Hefei from October 3 to 7. Wang Fosong, Pan Caiyuan, and the University of Science and Technology of China were in charge of organizing the conference. 542 participants attended, and 803 papers were presented for discussion. Shen Zhiquan was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The International Symposium on Polymer Physics, PP’97, was held in Guilin from November 25 to 29, 1997. The conference was hosted by the Joint Open Research Laboratory of Polymer Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with Jin Xigao, Chihiro Kajiyama (Japan), Zhengdi Cheng (USA), Yang Xiaozhen, and others serving as organizers. A total of 114 papers were presented at the conference. \"Research on Crystalline Liquid Crystal Polymers (Side-Chain Rigid Crystaline Liquid Crystal Polymers)\" won the third prize in the **Natural Science Award in 1997. Main contributors: Zhou Qifeng, Wan Xinhua, Zhang Dong, etc.; main institution: Peking University. \"Research on the Thermodynamics and Elastic Properties of Solid Polymers\" won the third prize in the 1997 **Natural Sciences Award. Lead contributor: Cai Zhonglong; Lead institutions: **University of Science and Technology, **Chinese University. The 2nd Cross-Strait Polymer Academic Exchange Conference in China was held in Beijing from October 16 to 17, during which representatives from both sides presented a total of 35 papers. After the meeting, Taiwanese scholars visited institutions such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University, and Jinshan Petrochemical Company. In 1998, the “Academic Conference on Polymer Liquid Crystalline States” was held at Xiangtan University in Hunan, with Zhou Qifeng, Qian Renyuan, and Wang Xiayu as the organizers. The former Planning Commission established the \"Engineering Research Center for New Polymer Molding Equipment\" at South China University of Technology. The \"National Symposium on Engineering Applications of Polymer Materials\" was held from October 8 to 13 in Wuyishan City, Fujian Province, in 1998. 110 papers were included in the conference. The conference was organized by the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering, the Chinese Chemical Society, and the Chinese Materials Research Society, and was hosted by the Institute of Polymers at Fujian Normal University and the Institute of Polymers at Tsinghua University. The main persons in charge are Wang Fosong, Zhou Qixiang, Zhang Guijia, Zhang Wengong, etc. The \"Polyolefins Engineering Research Center\" was established, with the Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Sinopec Corporation, as its supporting institution. It has a polypropylene research laboratory, a polyethylene research laboratory, an engineering research laboratory, a new catalytic materials research laboratory, and a polymer characterization center. The 15th \"National Polymer Academic Conference\" was held in Shanghai from May 9 to 14, 1999. Wang Fosong, Tang Xiaozhen, Liu Niancai, Yin Jie, and others from Shanghai Jiao Tong University were responsible for organizing the conference. Approximately 700 people attended, and 689 papers were presented at the conference. . The Ministry of Science and Technology established the **Biomedical Materials Engineering Technology Research Center** at Sichuan University. The Asian Polymer Symposium (APOSYM1999) was held in Lanzhou from August 8 to 15. The conference chairs were Li Fumian and Wang Yunpu. 83 papers were presented. “The 6th Pacific Polymer Conference was held in Guangzhou from December 7 to 11. Hosted jointly by the Polymer Science Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society and South China University of Technology, the conference was chaired by Wang Fosong, with Liu Huanbin and Xu Mao serving as vice-chairs. 532 delegates registered for the conference, and 549 papers were presented. 232 overseas representatives attended the conference. Zhou Qifeng was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Cao Xianghong (Sinopec Corporation) and Song Zhanqian (Institute of Forest Products Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Forestry) were elected academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. \"Research on Some Biomedical Polymers\" won the third prize in the 1999 **Natural Sciences Award. Main contributors: Feng Xinde, He Binglin, Zhuo Renxi, Lin Sicong, Ma Jianbiao; main institutions: Nankai University, Peking University, Wuhan University, Nanjing University. \"Research on Some Fundamental Physical Problems in Polymer Condensed States\" won the Second Prize of the 1999 **Natural Sciences Award. Principal contributors: Qian Renyuan, Cheng Rongshi, Shen Deyan, Bu Haishan, Zhou Enle; Principal institutions: Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing University. \"Kinetic Models of Polymerization Reactions\" won the fourth prize in the 1999 **Natural Sciences Award. Lead contributor: Yan Deyue, Lead institution: Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The 2nd “East Asian Polymer Conference” was held at **** University of Science and Technology, with Chen Zhiming and Wu Jingshen in charge of the conference organization. In 2000, the Ministry of Science and Technology initiated a 973 project titled “Research on Improving the Performance of General Polymers.” This was a research project carried out in collaboration between academia and industry, with participating institutions including Fudan University, the Research Institute of Chemistry of Sinopec, the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sichuan University, and other organizations. The lead scientists of the project were Yang Yuliang and Qiao Jinliang. (The research achievement developed in 2002 for this project, namely the production technology for high-speed biaxially stretched polypropylene material (BOPP), raised China’s production technology for biaxially stretched polypropylene films to an internationally advanced level. This achievement won the Second Prize of the **Science and Technology Progress Award in 2004.) In May, the 9th IUPAC International Conference on Polymer Fundamentals and Technology was held at Nankai University in Tianjin. Hosted by Nankai University. About 100 people attended the meeting. A total of 134 papers were presented at the conference. “The “16th Annual Meeting of the International Polymer Processing Society” (PPS-16) (The Polymer Processing Society Sixteenth Annual Meeting) was held in Shanghai from June 18 to 23. 334 experts and scholars from 24** presented a total of 367 papers for exchange. The conference was hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Sichuan University, with Xu Xi, Wang Zongguang, and others serving as the main organizers. The Joint Open Laboratory for Polymer Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was upgraded to a **Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry** (located at the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry). From September 13 to 17, the **Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry** of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized the 4th International Conference on Polymer Physics in Huangshan. (International Symposium on Polymer Physics, PP’2000), the conference organizers were Kim Hee-gao, Chihiro Kajiyama (Japan), Zhengdi Cheng (USA), Yang Xiaozhen, and others. A total of 148 papers were presented at the conference. “The “International Conference on New Trends in Functional Polymers” was held in Huangshan City from May 8 to 13. The conference was hosted by the University of Science and Technology of China, with key organizers including Wang Fosong, Albertsson, A.C. (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan in Sweden), Pan Caiyuan, Shi Wenfang, and others. 68 papers were presented. The 2000 “National Symposium on Engineering Applications of Polymer Materials” was held from September 7 to 12 in Lushan, Jiangxi. 100 papers were included in the conference. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering, the Chinese Chemical Society, and the Chinese Materials Research Society, and organized by Jiangxi Normal University and the Institute of Polymer Science at Tsinghua University. The main responsible persons include Xu Xi, Yu Jian, Song Caisheng, Xie Xuming, and others. In October, a Sino-German bilateral academic conference on \"Organometallic Catalysts and Olefin Polymerization\" was held in Hangzhou, led by Hong Dingyi, Hu Youliang, and Sun Junquan. The “Academic Conference on Polymer Liquid Crystalline States” was held at Xiamen University in Xiamen, with Zhou Qifeng and Dong Yanming as the organizers. **The Ministry of Education established the \"Key Laboratory of Polymer Molding and Processing Engineering\" at South China University of Technology, the \"Key Laboratory of Leather Chemistry and Engineering\" at Sichuan University, and the \"Key Laboratory on the Fundamentals of Controlled Chemical Reaction Science and Technology\" at Beijing University of Chemical Technology. Polymer research is one of the research areas in the laboratory. In June 2001, the “International Conference on Supramolecular Assembly” was held in Beijing, with Shen Jiacong serving as the organizer on the Chinese side. The 16th National Polymer Conference was held in Zhengzhou from October 12 to 16. Wang Fosong, Wang Jingwu, and Zhengzhou University were responsible for organizing the conference; 586 representatives attended, and a total of 720 papers were presented for discussion. Cao Yong was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The 1st Sino-Canadian Bilateral Polymer Academic Conference was held in Ottawa, Canada, from August 2 to 3 (organized by Wang Zhiyuan on the Canadian side); the 2nd Sino-Canadian bilateral conference took place at Nankai University in Tianjin in July 2002. ) The persons in charge of the organizing parties are Wang Zhiyuan (Canada) and Wang Fosong (China). 13 Chinese representatives attended the conference, and representatives from both sides presented 26 papers there. “The “International Symposium on Engineering Plastics” (EP’2001 Beijing) was held in Beijing from September 14th to 18th. The conference was jointly hosted by the **Key Laboratory of Engineering Plastics at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Netherlands Institute of Polymer Science/Eindhoven University of Technology, with He Jiasong and Piet J. Lemstra as the chairpersons. More than 90 representatives attended the conference, and 88 papers were presented and discussed. The 3rd \"Cross-Strait Polymer Academic Exchange Conference in China\" was held in Wuyi Mountain in November. Wang Fosong and Chen Shouan served as the respective leaders from both sides of the strait, while Hu Binghuan from Fujian Normal University and others were in charge of the conference arrangements. 24 representatives from the mainland participated, and a total of 35 papers were presented by both sides. From July 2 to 6, 2002, the **Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry** of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized the 5th \"International Conference on Polymer Physics\" in Qingdao. Over 100 participants attended the conference, during which 175 papers were presented for discussion. The “International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, World Polymer Congress 2002” (abbreviated as MACRO 2002), organized by the Polymer Science Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society, was held in Beijing from July 7 to 12. The chief organizer is Wang Fosong. 1,174 registered delegates attended the conference, and 1,072 papers were presented. Among them, 458 were representatives from the Chinese mainland. The delegates came from 44 ** and regions respectively. Three Nobel laureates in Chemistry in 2000, Professor Heeger, Professor MacDiarmid, and Professor Shirakawa, were invited to attend the conference and deliver keynote speeches. The 2nd Sino-Canadian Bilateral Polymer Conference was held in Tianjin from July 14 to 17. The conference was organized by the Institute of Polymers at Nankai University, the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Polymers at Fudan University. 23 Chinese representatives including Wang Fosong and Zhou Qifeng, along with 13 Canadian representatives including Wang Zhiyuan, attended the event, with a total of 26 papers presented for discussion. The 2002 National Symposium on Engineering Applications of Polymer Materials was held in Qingdao, Shandong from September 15 to 20. 160 papers were included in the conference. The conference was organized by the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering, the Chinese Chemical Society, and the Chinese Materials Research Society, and was hosted by the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at Qingdao University of Science and Technology and the Institute of Polymers at Tsinghua University. The main responsible persons are Xu Xi, Yu Jian, Xie Xuming, Zhao Shugang, etc. “The Synthesis and Catalytic Study of Polymer-Stabilized Metal Nanoclusters” won the Second Prize in the 2002 **Natural Sciences Award. Main contributors: Liu Hanfan, Yu Weiying, Zuo Xiaobin, Tu Weixia, Wang Yuan; Main institution: Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In October, the \"Academic Symposium on Polymer Liquid Crystalline States and Supramolecular Ordered States across the Taiwan Strait and in the Three Regions\" (the 8th National Conference on Polymer Liquid Crystalline States and Supramolecular Ordered States) was held at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. The organizers were Zhou Qifeng and Xie Xiaolin. Approximately 80 scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait attended the conference, with 80 conference papers presented. Professor Z. Shao from Fudan University, in collaboration with Oxford University, published a paper in the journal Nature on the topic of animal silk, which is formed from structural proteins such as silk proteins; the properties of this silk depend primarily on the silk-forming process and the higher structural arrangement of the proteins. Z. Shao*, F. Vollrath, “Surprising strength of silkworm silk” (Nature, 2002, 418:741). In August 2003, the Chemistry Division of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, based on a review of basic research achievements in polymer science in China over the past decade or so, organized and compiled the series “Polymer Science in the New Century” (4 volumes in total), which won the third prize in the “National Excellent Science and Technology Books Award”. The authors who contributed to the compilation include Hu Hanjie, Zhou Qifeng, Yang Yuliang, Qu Jinping, He Tianbai, Jing Xabin, Jin Xigao, Zhang Xi, Wu Qi, Shen Kaizhi, Hu Youliang, Yang Wantai, Zhou Chixing, Zheng Annà, Ma Jianbiao, Chen Liban, Ye Lu, and 96 others. The 17th National Polymer Academic Conference was held in Hangzhou from October 9 to 14. The conference was organized by the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at Zhejiang University, with Wang Fosong, Shen Jiacong, Zheng Qiang, and others serving as the main organizers. The event saw the participation of over 1,200 people, with 1,256 papers presented for discussion. Yang Yuliang and Wu Qi were elected as academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In December, the **Ministry of Education established the ‘Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics’ at Peking University, as well as the ‘Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials and New Preparation Technologies’ at South China University of Technology**. \"Folding and Assembly of Polymer Chains in Dilute Solutions\" won the Second Prize of the 2003 **Natural Science Award. Lead contributors: Wu Qi, Jiang Ming; Lead institutions: **Chinese University, Fudan University. Mr. Qian Renyuan, a renowned expert in polymer physics and chemistry as well as polymer physics in our country, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, passed away in Beijing on December 6 at the age of 86. In 2004, Yan Deyue from Shanghai Jiao Tong University published a research paper on supramolecular self-assembly in the journal Science (2004, 303: 5654). From April 24 to 27, the 24th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Chemical Society was held in Changsha. 100 representatives attended the session on polymer chemistry and physics, and 95 papers were presented. In May in Beijing, Peking University held the “International Polymer Conference” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of polymer education and research at the university. In June in Changchun, the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences hosted the “International Conference on Polymer Chemistry”. Wang Lixiang, Li Yuesheng, and others are in charge of the conference arrangements. The 6th \"International Symposium on Polymer Physics\" (PP’2004) was held from June 1 to 5 in Dali, Yunnan. The conference was organized by the **Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry**, with Han Zhichao, Kim Hee-gao, Kurihara, Kazue (Japan), Cheng Zhengdi (USA), Wittman, J.C. (France) serving as the conference organizers. A total of 188 papers were presented at the conference. ?? The “3rd East-Asian Polymer Conference” was held from June 6 to 9 at the Jinjiang Hotel in Chengdu. Out* represents 252 participants, with 350 papers presented. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Chemical Society, the **National Natural Science Foundation of China**, Sichuan University, and the Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering (Sichuan University). The main organizers were Lu Tiecheng, Li Guangxian, Wang Qi, Fu Qiang, and others. “The “Second International Symposium on Engineering Plastics” (EP’2004 Lanzhou) was held in Lanzhou from August 15 to 20. The conference was jointly hosted by the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Lanzhou University, with He Jiasong and Su Zhixing as the chairpersons. Over 120 participants attended, and 90 papers were presented and discussed at the conference. In August, the specialized polymer website “China Polymer Network” (http://www.polymer.cn), dedicated to academic research and industry exchanges in the field of polymers, was established. Invested in and hosted by Jiafeng Rongtong (Beijing) Consulting Company. Wan Chun and Hu Hanjie are the website managers. “The “Asian Polymer Symposium” (APOSYM2004) was held in Hangzhou from October 10 to 16. Hosted by Peking University and Zhejiang University, with 123 papers presented for exchange. The conference chairs were Zhou Qifeng and Li Bogeng. “The 2004 National Symposium on Polymer Materials Science and Engineering was held in Shanghai from October 26 to 30. 240 papers were included in the conference. The conference was organized by the Chinese Chemical Society, the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering, and the Chinese Materials Research Society, and was hosted by the School of Materials Science and Engineering at East China University of Science and Technology and the Institute of Polymer Science at Tsinghua University. The key persons in charge are Xu Xi, Yu Jian, Xie Xuming, Lin Jiaping, Wu Chifei, etc. The Cross-Strait Polymer Academic Symposium was held in Taipei from November 2 to 4. The conference was hosted by the organizing committee, chaired by Wang Fosong and Zhang Fengzhi. A group of 10 mainland representatives led by Zhou Qifeng went*. The conference included 32 papers. Jilin University’s research achievements in the field of supramolecules, specifically on \"Layered assembly and functions of organic and polymer systems,\" won the **Second Prize in the Natural Sciences Award**. Main contributors: Shen Jiacong, Zhang Xi. The achievement jointly developed by Nanjing University and Tsinghua University, titled “Chemical and Electrochemical Polymerization of Organic Heterocyclic Compounds on Metal Surfaces,” won the **Second Prize in the Natural Sciences Award**. Main contributors: Xue Qi, Shi Gaoquan, Jin Shi, Zhang Junfeng, Lu Yun. In October in Chengdu, the China Plastics Processing Association and Sichuan University held the \"First International Symposium on Biodegradable Materials Technology and Applications\", which received 53 papers and was attended by 155 people. The project \"Basic Research and Industrial Application of Production Technology for Special Materials for High-Speed Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP)\\" won the Second Prize of the **Science and Technology Progress Award in 2004. Main contributing units: Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Fudan University, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Technology; main contributors: Yang Yuliang, Qiao Jinliang, He Tianbai, etc. In January 2005, the journal \"Acta Polymera Sinica\", published by the Polymer Science Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society, won the second prize in the \"**Excellence in Journal Publishing Award**.\" From August 2 to 6, the “4th Pan-Pacific Conference on Rheology” (PRCR4) was held in Shanghai, organized by Fudan University, with Chris Macosko and Professor Xu Yuanze as the organizers. Mr. Huang Baotong, a renowned polymer chemist in our country, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a researcher at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, passed away in Changchun on September 6 at the age of 84. From September 18 to 21, the “2005 International Polymer Materials Engineering Conference” was held in Shanghai, organized by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University. Organizer, Indje. The 18th National Polymer Conference was held in Beijing from October 9 to 13. Wang Fosong, along with the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, and Tsinghua University, were responsible for organizing the conference. Nearly 1,500 people attended, and 1,500 papers were presented. The \"2005 Academic Symposium on Polymer Liquid Crystalline and Supramolecular Ordered States across the Taiwan Strait and the Three Regions\" was held at Sichuan University from October 14 to 22. It was organized by the Polymer Science Committee of the Chinese Chemical Society and Sichuan University, with Zhou Qifeng and Wang Yuzhong in charge. From October 19 to 21, Donghua University held the \"2005 International Conference on New Fiber and Polymer Materials\" in Shanghai, with Zhu Meifang in charge. Mr. Feng Xinde, a renowned polymer chemist in our country, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a professor at Peking University, passed away in Beijing on October 24th at the age of 91. (Historical events may inevitably contain omissions or errors; please feel free to provide supplements and corrections.) Contact address: huhj@polymer.cn) References: A Brief History of the Development of Polymer Science and Technology, edited by Qian Baogong, Wang Luoli, and Wang Xiayu, published in 1994, Science