Sino-German Radio Astronomy Conference 
on
Radio Studies of Galactic Objects, Galaxies and AGNs
Xi'an, China
July 18-25, 2002



Radio astronomy in China has been developing in last 40 years, with lots of valuable helps from international colleagues. Remarkably, the international cooperations between German and Chinese radio astronomers have been so active for many years that most Chinese radio astronomers have had experiences of visiting the Max-Planck-Institute for Radioastronomy (MPIfR) for a long or a short term or even many times. Most of these visits are based on the exchange program between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG). Based on the agreements between the presidents of the CAS and the MPG, recently, the two organizations have established a partner group of MPIfR at the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC, Beijing), to activate the existing cooperations on radio astronomy between the MPIfR and the NAOC.

Max-Planck-Institute for Radioastronomy runs the largest steerable radio telescope -- Effelsberg 100m telescope. German radio astronomers also proundly constructed the 30m IRAM mm telescope,  and the 10m HHT sub-mm telescope.  On China side, Chinese radio astronomers constructed the Miyun meter-wave-length synthesis radio telescope, and two 25m cm-wave VLBI telescope at Shanghai and Urumoqi stations and one 13.7m mm-wave telescope at Delinha station. The FAST (500m telescope)  is also on the stage of pre-design.

The purpose of this conference is to bring radio astronomers from China and Germany together and exchange their ideas on radio study of galactic objects, galaxies, and active galactic nuclei, with leading theorists joining the hot discussions or give some lectures. We hope they can find more common ground and more actively cooperate in future. The conference is also open to these international colleagues from other countries who wish to cooperate with or have more links to Chinese radio astronomers. The radio astronomers from Taiwan region are specially welcome to take part in the meeting. Chinese students are encouraged to participate the conference so that they can breath fresh air in the atmosphere of radio astronomy and develop their career on radio astronomy in the future. In China, this will also function as being the national radio astronomy meeting, so foreign guests can find their (potential) Chinese collaborators and discuss their projects.

The main topics of the conference are:

The program will consist of a number of review talks and long lectures (90 minutes+) in the main topics, and a number of work reports and short reports on the scientific projects.

The conference will be hold at Xi'an, the antient Chinese capital city, with lots of attractive historical sites to visit.  This gives the foreign friends a good chance to see the long history of China. The Sunday will be free for participants to go around Xian. Some tourism program will be organized.

Conference proceeding: published in a special issue of Acta Astronomica Sinica, and selectively republished by Chinese Astronomy and Astrophysics.

The guests from foreign countries probably need visa to enter China -- visa application normally should be made one month before your travel. For official invitation letter and "Official confirmation to China embassy",  please contact with LOC as soon as you decide to participate the meeting.

Very limited local support is available for foreign guests. Application should be made to LOC. Germen guests should contact with Prof. Wielebinski (MPIfR), if he/she would like to have MPG support.

All participants are encouraged to also join "2002 PACIFIC RIM CONFERENCE ON STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS", also held in Xian between July 11 - 17, 2002. You can registrate for that meeting at: http://bohr.physics.hku.hk/~xian2002/registration.html