Chinese Progress and International Trends of Geography

Abstract

Chinese geography has acquired proud progress, representing the breakthroughs of scientific researches, contributions to national construction, innovation of research means, contributions to science and education, proffers for society and so on. Yet, such problems as weakness of basic research, insufficiency of subjects conformity, wrong path of academic tend, worry of competition capacity, deficiency of global perspective and inaccuracy of geographical education orientation, exist in recent Chinese geography. International geography is paying more attention to key study issues identified by scientific community. On the other hand, scientific community is more appreciating the contribution of geography and its perspective to scientific knowledge. The scientific issues concerned by geography orientate the urgent demands of present decision-makers. In various manners, geographers make more contribution to solving practical problems. The recent international geography focuses on the following points: to reveal the imbalance and dynamics of complicated systems; to understand the tide of globalization (including environment, economics, population, society and culture) and its impacts; to establish series research on special continuum from local to global; to take comparative studies on processes by means of vertical data including temporal series; to strengthen influence of geographical theory, technology and research fruits on decision-making; to reinforce geographical education including enhancing the geographic ability of public; to improve training of geographers in university; to advance geographical understanding; and to intensify geographic organization and institution.