The People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as "China"), founded on October 1, 1949, is located in the east of Asia and the West Bank of the Pacific Ocean. The common language is Mandarin and standard Chinese characters, and the capital is Beijing.

China is the most populous developing country in the world, with the third largest land area in the world. It is the second largest economy in the world and continues to be the largest contributor to world economic growth.

Nanjing is a megacity covering an administrative area of 6,600 sq. km in one of China’s most prominent economic zones. Nanjing in Chinese quite literally means ‘Southern Capital’. It has alternated with Beijing as the capital of big empires and modern governments throughout history. Today, Nanjing stands as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, along with Beijing, Xi’an, and Luoyang.

The Soil Science Society of China (SSSC) was founded in 1945 by a visionary group of soil scientists who summoned the inaugural meeting in Chongqing. Now it is one of the top national academic societies under the China Association for Science and Technology. It is a legally registered, trans-industrial, trans-departmental and non-profit organisation that is oriented towards promoting soil sciences, supporting all soil scientists in the pursuit of their activities.

The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) is the global union of soil scientists, taking action to advance soil science. Its objectives are to promote all branches of soil science and to support all soil scientists across the world in the pursuit of their activities.

It provides a structure for managing the science of soil science and arranges for the publication and distribution of material relevant to the interests of the Union, and its members as well as arranging for studies in particular fields, such as specific definitions, classifications and databases. IUSS establishes cooperation with other related organisations and represents Soil Science to a wide external audience.