"ONE Belt One Road 一带一路" Insect Training Course in China

In October 2025, Assoc Prof Eleanor Slade and Dr Ong Xin Rui had the privilege of participating in "The Second Training Course on Key Technologies of Insect Diversity Pattern Assessment and Intelligent Monitoring System in the Belt & Road Region", organised by the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Course participants at the Tengger Desert

The course involved over 20 participants from 16 countries , and was conducted in seven host institutions across six locations in China. At each institution, we were treated to a series of talks and tutorials, which covered various topics such as insect taxonomy, quantitative morphology, genetic diversity and novel monitoring techniques.

Clockwise from top left: Prof Benoit Guénard's talk on the Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics database; Prof Hu Yonggang's talk on beetle horns; Dr Ong Xin Rui's 5-min presentation about the course during the closing ceremony; Prof Eleanor Slade's talk on TEE Lab's dung beetle research.

Outside the classroom, there were multiple excursions to nature areas, museums and exhibits. Some notable ones include our field visit to the Taihang Mountains, a day off at the Tengger Desert, and a cultural exchange with primary school students in Cangzhou. We also had a firsthand experience of taking an overnight train from Yinchuan to Shijiazhuang!

Left: Taihang Mountains and Yuan Shikai's home. Right: Yellow River and Tengger Desert

Clockwise from top left: Ningxia Cultural Museum; Prof Cui Jianxin's digital insect art exhibition; Summer Palace 颐和园; Old Summer Palace 圆明园.

Cultural exchange with primary school students in Cangzhou: Peking opera performance, dough sculptures made from glutinous rice, paper printing, and bamboo flute performance.

This course was truly a memorable experience for everyone, and many new connections (and friendships!) were made. We had amazing discussions with our peers over our tutorial sessions and meals, and we are excited to see what future collaborations may come from them.

New friendships made :)

Finally, we are very grateful to Prof Bai Ming, Prof Lu Yuan-Yuan, Dr Li Yin-Ge, Dr Tong Yi-Jie, the rest of the organising team and the student volunteers for their hard work in ensuring that the course runs smoothly.

Cheers everyone!!