Under the auspices of the Geographical Society of China and Sun Yat-sen University, the 4^th Asian Conference on Geography was held from December 6^th -10^th , 2018 in Guangzhou, China. Under the theme of “Rising Asia and Our Geography”, the conference attracted over 500 participants from 27 countries worldwide, including 21 from Asia.

Opening Ceremony

On the morning of December 7^th, the conference began with the Opening Ceremony held at the K. K. Leung Hall, Sun Yat-sen University. Prof. Dongbai Sun, Executive Deputy President of Sun Yat-sen University, Prof. Bojie Fu, President of the Geographical Society of China, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Yukio Himiyama, President of International Geographical Union, Past Chairman of National Committee of Geography, Belgium, delivered speeches respectively. The Opening Ceremony was chaired by Prof. Desheng Xue, Dean of the School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen Univeristy.

Addresses at the Opening Ceremony

After the Opening Ceremony, several reputable scientists from different countries were invited to give 8 keynote lectures, which were Development of Climate Change and Cryospheric Science by Prof. Dahe Qin (Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chair of the Scientific Committee of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), New Cultures of Care? The Spatio-Temporal Modalities of Home-Based Smart Eldercare Technologies in Singapore by Prof. Lily Kong (President of Singapore Management University, Singapore), Prospects for Geography Following the Establishment of the International Science Council by Prof. Michael Meadows (Former Secretary-General of International Geographical Union, South Africa), Urban Planning in Asia - Some Issues by Prof. Anthony Yeh (Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor of University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China), Creating Scientific Geography in Asia by Applying Geospatial Technologies with Remote Sensing Data by Prof. Yuji Murayama (President of Association of Japanese Geographers, Professor of University of Tsukuba, Japan), Bridging Nature-Culture Dualisms in the Conservation Circle: A Perspective from Cultural Landscape by Prof. Je-Hun Ryu (Professor of Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, Korea), Food or Border? A Geographical Introspection in Indian Context by Prof. Subhra Chattopadhyay (Associate Professor of Lady Brabourne College, India) and Problems of Sustainable Development of Mountainous Regions in Tajikistan by Prof. Kholnazar Mukhabbatov (Geographical Society of Tajikistan, Tajikistan).

Keynote Lectures

On December 8^th-9^th, 23 scientific sessions were organized, spanning a broad spectrum of geography and related various disciplines, focusing on the latest and recent achievements in the study of geography and the most concerning issues about Asia. More than 210 oral presentations were made and 30 posters were presented.

Scientific Sessions

After the conference, a field excursion was arranged in downtown Guangzhou on December 10^th. About 30 participants took part in this event.

During the conference, the 1st Business Meeting of the Asian Geographical Association (abbreviated to AGA as follows) was convened on the evening of December 7^th. Proposed by the Geographical Society of China in 2015, the initiative to co-found Asian Geographical Association has gained the support from more than 20 geographical organizations across Asia. On the occasion of the 4th Asian Conference on Geography, 22 founding members of the AGA were gathered in Guangzhou and signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing the Asian Geographical Association. After discussion among the founding members, the drafted statutes concerning the Association’s denomination, objectives, activities, structures, membership, etc were approved in principle, the proposals on establishing working groups were presented, an Interim Committee of the AGA consisting of 8 people was also put forward: Prof. Dahe Qin, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences was nominated as Chairman, Prof. Yuji Murayama, President of Association of Japanese Geographers, Prof. Seungho Lee, President of Korean Geographical Society, Prof. Suresh Chand Rai, Secretary-General of National Association of Geographers, India, Professor Kanat Baigarin, President of Kazakhstan National Geographic Society, Prof. Ahmet Ertek, President of Turkish Geographical Society, Prof. Lai Vinh Cam, Vice Chairman of Association of Vietnamese Geographers as Members, Ms. Xuanzi Zhang from the Geographical Society of China as Secretary. The Secretariat will be based in the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The 1^st Business Meeting of Asian Geographical Association

Initiated by Geographical Society of China, co-sponsored by Association of Japanese Geographers, Korean Geographical Society, the Asian Conference on Geography (ACG) was inaugurated in 2015. The first three ACGs have been successively held in Shanghai China in 2015, Sapporo Japan in 2016 and Jeju Korea in 2017. The Asian Conference on Geography has provided a rewarding platform for academic communication, exchange and collaboration among Asian geographers. After the launch of the Asian Geographical Association, the ties among Asian Geographers will be further strengthened.

Group Picture of the 4^th Asian Conference on Geography

Provided by Xuanzi Zhang, Guoyou Zhang

The Geographical Society of China