The symposium was honored by opening addresses of the Dean of the College of Environment and Resources, Lanzhou University Prof. Li Jijun, the vice Governor of Gansu Province Dr. Li Chong- An, the President of Lanzhou University Prof. Li Lian and the Past - President of INQUA, Prof. Liu Tungsheng. The symposium was sponsored and supported by INQUA, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Education Commission of China, China Quaternary Commission, China Soil Science Society, Government of Gansu Province and Lanzhou University.

The oral presentations were divided into six sessions on:

(A) Genesis of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Soils in relation to environmental change.

(B) Pedological signals of millennial climatic fluctuations.

(C)Paleomagnetism and rock magnetism of soils - enhancement of magnetic susceptibility in soils.

(D)Quantification of biotic and abiotic soil / paleosol properties used as indicators of paleoclimate and geomorphological evolution.

(E)Paleosol identification, classification and horizon nomenclature.

(F) Cenozoic magneto-, bio- and pedostratigraphy and long - term climatic change.

About 30 participants from China and about 35 participants from 11 foreign countries discussed the oral and poster presentations, summarized in a book of abstracts. From a paleopedologic point of view the papers dealing with magnetic properties of loess - paleosol sequences in different parts of the world and presented in session C were of special importance. The question whether special kinds of magnetic susceptibility (MS) can be regarded as a “climatic proxy’’ which indicates the problem of lithogenic versus pedogenic MS created a fruitful discussion. The meeting was “interrupted’’ by a one day excursion in the vicinity of Lanzhou. Upper parts of deep loess sections were demonstrated as well as many efforts to prevent steep slopes from soil erosion.

The conference was very well organized by X. M. Fang and his co-workers.