From April 18 to 20, 2025, the Spring Annual Meeting of the Geographical Society of China (including the China Geography Editing and Publishing Annual Conference and the China Urban and Regional Management Academic Conference) was held in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Prof. Dong Guanghui and Prof. Ma Minmin from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Prof. An Chengbang from Fudan University, and Prof. Ma Chunmei from Nanjing University jointly organized Sub-Forum 58 titled “Environment and Urban Development along the Silk Road.” The oral presentations were held on the morning of April 20. This sub-forum was one of the key academic activities organized in 2025 by the Commission on Environmental Change and Environmental Archaeology of the Geographical Society of China.
Dozens of faculty members and students from institutions including Nanjing University, Northeast Normal University, Northwest University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou University, Henan University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Fujian Normal University, Anhui Normal University, Qinghai Normal University, and the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences participated in this session.
On the morning of April 20, Sub-Forum 58 was chaired by Prof. Ma Chunmei and Prof. Ma Minmin, focusing on environmental changes and social evolution during prehistoric and historical periods. Prof. Jie Dongmei from Northeast Normal University introduced the spatiotemporal distribution of Paleolithic human activities and the evolution of human-environment relationships in Northeast China. Prof. Sun Xuefeng from Nanjing University presented progress in stratigraphic and chronological research on newly discovered Paleolithic sites in the Ulan Buh and Badain Jaran Deserts. Prof. Zhang Yuzhu from Northwest University introduced climatic and hydrological changes in the Surkhan River Basin of Central Asia since the Late Pleistocene and their impact on ancient human activities. Prof. Dong Guanghui’s team from Lanzhou University introduced the diffusion process of prehistoric agropastoralism along the Eurasian steppe-oasis corridor and its influence on social development. Prof. Hou Guangliang’s team from Qinghai Normal University introduced research progress on the cold-adaptation process of domestic sheep on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Prof. Ma Chunmei from Nanjing University presented research progress in environmental archaeology of the Liangzhu Ancient City. Associate Prof. Li Kaifeng from Henan University shared how mid-Holocene hydrological and climatic changes promoted the development of Neolithic agriculture in the Luoyang Basin. Dr. Wang Tianli from the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced research on how heavy metal records from speleothems reveal early metallurgical activities and environmental evolution in southern Yunnan. Prof. Zhang Zhiping from Nanjing Normal University introduced prehistoric hydrological processes and human adaptation, using the Qujialing site in the Jianghan Plain as an example. Graduate student Wang Chengpeng from Nanjing University shared research progress on how the development of rice agriculture in the mid-Holocene facilitated the expansion of Neolithic cultures and early social complexity in the lower Yangtze River. Prof. Wu Li from Anhui Normal University introduced the evolution of the Danyang Ze wetland reclamation landscape in the lower Yangtze River over the past 3,000 years. Graduate student Mei Zepeng from Fujian Normal University introduced how coffin remains reveal 4,000 years of social change in China and how tree-ring oxygen isotopes from coffins in Changzhou, Jiangsu were used to reconstruct drought variability during the Medieval Warm Period. Graduate student Zhou Jinqing from Nanjing University introduced research progress on the interaction between hydrological environment and human activities in the Shaoxing Plain on the south wing of Hangzhou Bay during the pre-Qin period. Dr. Hu Mingchun from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University shared research progress on behavioral and psychological responses across the Eurasian continent over the past millennium. Graduate student Zheng Liyuan from Lanzhou University introduced research on the spatiotemporal evolution and environmental adaptation of ancient cities in Xinjiang during the Han and Tang dynasties. Dr. Nong Kuangyuan from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences presented archaeobotanical research progress on the Tang Dynasty beacon site at Kuyakuduk, Yuli County, Xinjiang. Graduate student Guo Liying from Lanzhou University introduced research on the evolution of historical landscape patterns in the Shule River Basin. Finally, Prof. An Chengbang from Fudan University and Prof. Jia Xin from Nanjing Normal University provided commentary on the session presentations.
The presentations of this session showcased the latest research progress in the field of environmental changes and social evolution during prehistoric and historical periods, deepening mutual understanding among scholars from different institutions. The session atmosphere was lively, with active questions and discussions from participating scholars and students, playing a positive role in promoting academic exchange and cooperation in the field of prehistoric social evolution and environmental change.
