On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we are pleased to invite you to participate in the 2014 Ediacaran/CryogenianSubcommission symposiumand workshop in South China. GOALS OF THE MEETING In the past twenty years, muchprogress has been made in Ediacaran paleontology, biostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, and geochronology. Ediacaran successions in the Yangtze Gorges area of South Chinahave played a role in moving forward the field of Ediacaran stratigraphy. The Ediacaran Doushantuo and Dengying formations are featured prominently in numerous recent investigations:a paleogeographic-stratigraphic framework has been established; diverse spiny acritarchs, macroalgal fossils, Ediacara-typemacrofossils, and δ13C excursions—calibrated against precisely dated ash beds—offer promising tools for the subdivision and correlation of the Ediacaran System in South China and beyond; integration of multiple geochemical proxies and a rich paleontological record allows a better understanding of the Ediacaran evolution of ocean redox structures and marine life.Likewise, renewed investigation of Cryogenian successions in South China has made important progressin the areas of radiometric dating, paleoclimate, and paleogeography. Encouraged by these new advances and emerging data, the Organization Committee proposes a field workshop and symposium to examine key Ediacaran and Cryogenian sections in South China. As the primary goal of this meeting, we hope to achieve some progress toward choosing appropriate criteria for the subdivision of the Ediacaran Systemand the definition of the Cryogenian System.The field workshop and symposium consists of three segments. Segment 1:a four-dayfield trip in the Yangtze Gorges area to examine key Ediacaran and Cryogenian sections (June 11–15).Segment 2:a three-daysymposium in Wuhan to be held concurrent with and in the same venue as the Third International Congress of Geobiology (http://www.geobiology.net.cn/2014meeting) to discuss key issues related to Ediacaran and Cryogenian Earth history (June 16–18). Segment 3:a three-day field trip focusing on Cryogenian successions in Guizhou and Guangxi provinces(June 18–22). Participants will have some flexibility to choose which segment(s) they would like to participate in.