The International Society of Citriculture (ISC) and the Organizing Committee of the 11th International Citrus Congress (ICC 2008) are very pleased to announce that the ICC 2008, under the theme of Diversity and Development, will be held in Wuhan, China，from October 26-30, 2008. On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I would like to invite you to participate in this Congress and visit the home of citrus. China is the most important place of origin for citrus; its diverse climates, vast area suitable for this plant and long history of citriculture lead to the richest reservoir of germplasm and varieties in the world. In recent decades, the citrus industry has re-developed quickly in China; with its acreage now ranked first and production reaching 17 million MT, the second largest in the world. Citrus is the second most important fruit crop in China, second only to the apple. The largest production is for loose skin mandarin; however, the production of sweet oranges, including navel oranges, has been increasing in the past decade. The tangerine, a kind of loose skin mandarin and the most ancient citrus type, has a long ripening season, stretching from August to April. The upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River form one of the three primary citrus belts,in which are two citrus research institutes: the Citrus Research Institute of Huazhong Agricultural University and the Citrus Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province and a major city in China, has a recorded history of over 3000 years. Hubei, known as the “province of a thousand lakes”, is a key part of the citrus growing region of the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River. There are many other beautiful places worth visiting, such as Guilin, one of the main sweet orange production areas. The world famous Three Gorges and the Three Gorges Dam are located in the citrus belt of Yangtze River. These places, along with the Great Wall, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the Terra-cotta Warriors of Qin Dynasty in Xi’an could be wonderful sites for your pre/post-congress tours. With more than 700 members, the Chinese Society of Citriculture (CSC) will do its best to make your stay in China satisfactory and rewarding. We are looking forward to meeting you in Wuhan, China.