The first joint China-Taiwan symposium on tunnelling and underground works was held on August 11 to 13 1999 in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, China. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Underground Works Committee of the Chinese Rock Mechanics and Engineering Society, the Tunnelling and Underground Works branch of the Chinese Civil Engineering Society and the Taiwan Tunnelling Association. One hundred and fifty-five representatives from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan attended the symposium.
The subjects of the symposium were mainly concerned with: new develop-ments in planning and design in tunnelling; new methods and techniques in tunnel construction; monitoring and analysis of tunnelling sites; major tunnelling case studies; a review of the current state of tunnelling; and future developments in underground works.
The symposium was the first of its kind between China and Taiwan and was very successful, with experts from both countries sharing information and experiences and looking forward to future exchange of expertise.
This symposium will be held once a year in China and Taiwan alternately. During the symposium, the organisers discussed the symposium organisation and the topics to be covered in the second and third symposiums. It was decided that the second symposium would be held in Taiwan next year and the third in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, in 2001.
