Autumn brings a bountiful harvest to Longyuan, as distinguished guests gather from near and far; along the Yellow River, friends and colleagues come together to celebrate and embark on a new chapter. On the morning of September 20, 2026, the 80th Anniversary Celebration of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, and the Forum on High-Quality Discipline Development were held at the Chengguan Campus. Academician Chen Fahu and Academician Fang Xiaomin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with more than 200 alumni, retired faculty members, and representatives of faculty and students from peer schools and colleges both in China and abroad, gathered for the occasion. Ma Xiaojie, Secretary of the CPC Lanzhou University Committee, Li Pengjie, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Lanzhou University Committee, and other university leaders attended the event. The ceremony was presided over by Shi Zhaojun, Secretary of the CPC School Committee of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

At 9:00 a.m., the ceremony commenced with the solemn playing of the national anthem. During the event, the School's promotional video, "Mountains and Rivers as Witnesses", was released, taking the audience on a journey through the history of generations of faculty, students, and alumni of the School who have devoted themselves to the western region and served the nation since the founding of the Department of Geography at Lanzhou University in 1946.

In his address, Ma Xiaojie, Secretary of the CPC Lanzhou University Committee, extended a warm welcome, sincere respect, and heartfelt thanks to the guests, faculty, students, alumni, and people from all sectors who have supported the development of the School. He noted that the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences is a microcosm of Lanzhou University's commitment to the western region and its service to national development, as well as a representative of the University's strengths in academic disciplines. For generations, faculty and students of the School have devoted themselves to the Loess Plateau, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and arid regions, building disciplinary strengths in areas including glaciers and permafrost, environmental archaeology, desert management, geology and geomorphology, ecological security, and environmental protection. They have produced a series of high-level original research achievements and trained a large number of outstanding talents in the geosciences. He expressed the hope that the School would remain firmly focused on the needs of the nation and continue to make substantial contributions to the development of western China. The School should transform the region's unique resource endowments into advantages for disciplinary development, deepen interdisciplinary integration, uphold the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education, carry forward the spirit of its distinguished predecessors, expand openness and cooperation, and bring together collective strengths for development, thereby making greater contributions to addressing the major strategic needs of western China and serving the nation.

In his address, Academician Chen Fahu, representing the alumni, looked back on his own educational journey and the history of the development of geography at Lanzhou University. He expressed his gratitude in three respects: first, to Lanzhou University for enabling him to pursue his aspiration of "seeing the world"; second, to generations of outstanding teachers whose support and guidance helped him grow continuously; and third, to successive generations of increasingly innovative students, with whom he has continued to expand and deepen the field through mutual learning and teaching. He noted that, as one of the first universities in China to establish a specialized geography honors program, Lanzhou University has benefited from its unique geographical location, which has provided a high-quality platform for the development of geography. With the strong support of the University, the conditions for disciplinary development and the School's ability to attract talent have continued to improve, providing students with an ideal environment for focused study and a fertile ground for academic and personal growth. Looking ahead, he called for continued commitment to the spirit of keeping one's feet firmly on the ground while looking to the stars, taking a global perspective to advance the development of geographical sciences, pursuing research and producing achievements in response to China's western development strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative, and further strengthening and expanding the geography discipline at Lanzhou University.

In his address, Academician Fang Xiaomin, representing the alumni, looked back on his deep connection with Lanzhou University. He noted that Lanzhou University is a key national university located in western China, with unique geographical significance in developing the northwest, engaging with Central Asia, and supporting the Belt and Road Initiative. The continuous stream of talented graduates trained by Lanzhou University has given rise to the "Lanzhou University phenomenon", widely recognized in academic circles, and produced the celebrated distinction of "five academicians from one discipline" in the geosciences. He likened academic pursuit to the practice of martial arts, emphasizing that only by being willing to endure solitude and remain focused can one develop genuine knowledge and expertise. With the message that "being rooted in western China does not mean being confined to western China; having the whole world in mind means embracing not only China but the world", he encouraged students to remain confident, embrace the world, and devote themselves to serving the nation.

Dean Li Yu delivered a report on the School's history and current development under the title "Tracing 80 Years of History, Advancing Together Toward a Distant Future", systematically reviewing the School's eight-decade development trajectory and achievements in education. He noted that the School will carry forward the spirit of "Understanding the Earth and Its Principles, Practicing Diligently and Striving for Excellence", remain rooted in Northwest China, serve major national strategies, devote itself to educating and cultivating talent, shoulder its responsibilities, and continue to contribute the strength of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Qi Jinbo, Director of the Lanzhou University Alumni Affairs Office, read aloud the "Approval on the Establishment of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Branch of the Lanzhou University Alumni Association". He expressed the hope that the branch would carry forward the alma mater's spirit of self-reliance and distinctive excellence, strengthen alumni connections, foster a strong sense of alumni community, and build the alumni association into a spiritual home, a haven, and a platform for career development for alumni of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, thereby contributing to the growth of alumni, the development of the alma mater, and social progress.

Li Pengjie, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Lanzhou University Committee, presented appointment certificates to the members of the first Council. Academician Chen Fahu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was elected President, while Zhang Xiangxi, General Manager of Source Technology (Gansu) Co., Ltd., was elected Executive President. Academician Fang Xiaomin, Professor Pan Baotian, Professor-level Senior Engineer Xu Bing, Professor Gou Xiaohua, and alumni from the business community, including Hou Jianxi, Wang Haimin, Chen Qipin, Fan Jixin, Liu Yongxin, Wang Peng, and Liao Zhitao, were elected Vice Presidents. Chao Yuanyuan was elected Secretary-General. The Council includes numerous alumni from the Classes of 1979 through 2025, establishing a bridge that connects alumni across generations and supports the development of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Zhang Xiangxi, Executive President of the first Council of the Alumni Branch of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, delivered a speech. He recalled his admission to Lanzhou University in 1996 and noted that being called a "Lanzhou University Earth and Environmental Sciences alumnus" has always held a warm and cherished place in his heart. He emphasized that education is a quiet endeavor that nurtures growth, while personal development is a long-term process; only through patient cultivation and dedicated effort can the seeds of youth take root and flourish. Taking the School's 80th anniversary as an opportunity, the Alumni Branch officially launched the "Dream Plan", which will bring together the strength of alumni and implement a series of distinctive talent-development initiatives to help a new generation of students realize their aspirations.

Academician Chen Fahu, representing the initiators of the "Li Jijun Truth-Seeking Award", delivered a speech in which he fondly recalled the noble character of his mentor, Professor Li Jijun, who remained indifferent to fame and material gain and devoted himself to nurturing and supporting younger scholars. To better carry forward Professor Li's academic conviction of "persistently pursuing ideals and persistently pursuing scientific truth", the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lanzhou University, together with the School of Geography and Ocean Science at Nanjing University and the School of Geographical Sciences at Nanjing Normal University, jointly initiated the national "Li Jijun Truth-Seeking Award". The award recognizes outstanding young researchers and graduate students engaged in geoscience research, with the aim of encouraging young scholars to reject a culture of impatience, return to the original aspiration of pursuing fundamental research, and ensure that the spirit of "seeking truth in conduct and pursuing substance in scholarship" continues to flourish from one generation of geoscientists to the next.

"Embracing diverse perspectives, pursuing truth through knowledge and practice, and fostering virtue through education; forging a distinctive path, persevering through dedication and hard work, and embarking on a new chapter". With the successful conclusion of the first stage of the agenda, the Academic Discipline Development Strategy Consultation Meeting, Alumni Forum, and the "Revisiting the Past and Retracing the Campus" tour were held concurrently.

Academician Chen Fahu chaired the Academic Discipline Development Strategy Consultation Meeting, where participating experts and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including interdisciplinary integration, innovation in talent cultivation models, and the development of research platforms. The meeting proposed establishing an alumni mutual-support platform to promote resource and information sharing; developing distinctive strengths in "desert ecological resources and sustainable development" based in western China, while connecting with the Belt and Road Initiative to expand research across Eurasia; and upholding fundamental principles while pursuing innovation in talent cultivation, strengthening the foundation of field-based practical training, and enhancing students' capabilities for human–machine collaborative research. Academician Chen Fahu pointed out that the University should recognize and narrow the disparities among different subdisciplines of geographical sciences and provide strong support for advancing physical and information geography, while fostering new development in human geography. At the same time, the University should acknowledge and strive to narrow the gaps in educational conditions and faculty resources between its geography disciplines and those of leading universities in eastern China. By carrying forward its fine traditions, making effective use of alumni resources, strengthening talent recruitment and development, and promoting interdisciplinary integration, the University should advance the high-quality development of Earth surface system sciences centered on geography.

At the Alumni Forum, participants revisited their years of study in light of the "Dream Plan" initiative and shared their views on how to further activate alumni resources and strengthen long-term platforms for talent development. Focusing on areas including internship and employment support, academic and research assistance, comprehensive skills development, broadening students' perspectives, and alumni activity development, the alumni discussed and refined concrete measures for implementation. They engaged in lively discussions on leveraging the strength of alumni to support student development, advance disciplinary development, and promote the high-quality development of the School's various undertakings.

Some alumni visited the Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Education under the Ministry of Education and other facilities in groups, revisiting the places where they spent their youth and witnessing the School's remarkable development and transformation.

The past eight decades have been a history of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences taking root in western China and serving the nation; the journey ahead is a determined march toward new heights through the pursuit of truth and dedicated practice. Standing at a new starting point, the School will take its 80th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward the academic spirit of the older generation, deepen interdisciplinary integration, bring together talent, and write a new chapter for the people of Lanzhou University's Earth and Environmental Sciences in the great endeavor of building a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation.