The conference is to be held in Shenyang, Liaoning, China.

1. About Shenyang:

- Introduction

As the largest city in Northeast China, Shenyang(Chinese:沈阳）is the political, economic, and cultural center of Liaoning Province. It is also an important industrial base and a famous historical city. As the host city of the 2006 International Horticultural Exposition and venue for the football (soccer) matches of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Shenyang will soon be the focus of worldwide attention. Shenyang is located in the central part of Liaoning Province. Its climate is relatively dry most of the year with spikes in precipitation during the summer months due to the influence of monsoons. Temperatures vary as much as 10 degrees Celsius from daytime to night, and in winter they can drop below 0 degrees Celsius.

- History

Shenyang is a celebrated old city with more than 2,000 years of history which can be traced back to Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC). It is the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and has many cultural relics which symbolize the prosperity and subsequent decline of China's last feudal dynasty. The most famous of these is the Shenyang Imperial Palace, which is of great historic and artistic significance and second only to the Forbidden City in Beijing.

- Origin of the name:

Shenyang is also known as Shengjing (盛京) and Fengtian (奉天), which are its previous names. It gained its present name because it lies in the north of Hunhe River. Being one of the origins of the Chinese nation, the area of Shenyang has accumulated the early culture of the Liaohe River basin.