Huang Bingfu
Secretary-General and
Standing Committe Member of the Chinese Communist Party Suzhou City Committee

Repected Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends:

Like everyone here today, I am extremely delighted to be taking part in this Seminar on Archives Education and Training, held by the East Asia Regional Branch of ICA. At the opening of this conference, I am honored to represent the Suzhou City People's Government, and all archivists in Suzhou. To express my heartfelt congratulations on the convening of this conference, and extend a warm welcome to all experts, scholars and friends, who have honored Suzhou with their presence here today.

Suzhou lies in the center of the Ynagtze River delta, less than 100km from Shanghai. Suzhou city was among the first batch of historic cities named by the Chinese Government as key points for protection and conservation. Founded in 514BC, the city has a continuous history of over 2,500 years, Suzhou is also a city famous for its scenic, tourist sights, and our Southern Jiangsu style gardens are known throughout the world. Each year we play host to over 12 million Chinese and foreign vistors.

Starting from 1983, Suzhou implemented a system of "the city supervising the countries".

Under the City's juurisdiction are siz countries and six urban districts, covering an area of 8488 square Km, with a population of 5,740,000. In recent years the pace of the city's moderization has quickened, and the layout of the city, with an eastern area, a western area and the OLD city in the center, is begining to take shape. In the east is the Suzhou Industrial Park which is being jointly developed by Singapore and China, and covers anarea of 70 square KM. The initial phase of the park, covering 8 square Km, is now home to over 130 enterprises, with a total investment of US$ 4.27 billion. In the west is the APEC High and New Technology Development Zone covering 56 square Km. The initial development phase of this zone, covering 16 square Km, has attracted over 300 enterprises with a total investment of over US $ 4 billion. The old city occupies 14.2 square Km and is home to over 300,00 people. In the 1990's, we have carried out a policy of street and neighborhood reform in the old city, striving to harmoniously integrate the city's modernization with preserving its ancient style.

In carrying out modernization, we have come to deeply realize that archival work is not only a matter of keeping authentic records on social and economic activity, it is also the raw material of compilinghistory publications, a reliable basis for government policymaking and an active resource of educating the population. Indeed, we can say that government activities are inseparable from effective archives keeping. The connecion between people's lives and archival work is also growing even more closer. For these reasons, the government has listed archival work as a major item of its agenda, drawing up a plan to accelerate the construction of a well-grounded archival professional, causing the archival profession throughout the city to take a great step forward.

However, when we compare our present standing with the needs of economic and social development, and with archival work in developed foreign countries, especially from the point of view of the speed of modernization in archival work necessary to keep pace in the information economy and the communications age, we feel deeply that we have much ground to make up. We must energetically study, work even harder and surmount ever greater obstacles. Today, experts and scholars from the archival education and training and to exchange their own experience. This gives us a rae opportunity for study. We believe that this conference will definitely bring a new starting point, a new viewpoint and a new impetus, to archival work in Suzhou.

Finally, I sincerely hope this conference will be a success, our archival profession proper and grow, and everyone has a very happy time in Suzhou.