On July 7, 2025, the Seminar on Fundamental Research and Application of Bamboo as Building Materials Under the Rural Revitalization Context was successfully held at Fujian College of Water Conservancy and Electric Power (College). Attendees included Prof. Wu Renhua, Deputy Director of the Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports Committee of the Fujian Provincial CPPCC; Mr. Zhu Changkai, Mayor of Yong'an City; Prof. Wang Yuhong, Director of Research Centre for Nature-based Urban Infrastructure Solutions (RNUS), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU); Prof. Li Jianxing, Party Secretary of the College; Prof. Sun Xuegeng, President of the College; and Prof. Yang Wugai, Vice President of the College; and etc. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Qiu Dong, Deputy Dean of the School of Management, Fujian University of Technology.
Prof. Wu Renhua emphasized that this collaboration represents both a vivid practice of extending university-enterprise cooperation to university-local government cooperation, and an innovative move for Fujian-Hong Kong universities to deepen exchanges in serving the national rural revitalization strategy. He expressed hope that all participating parties would jointly promote technological innovation, industrial application, talent cultivation, and international exchange in bamboo construction. The goal is to establish the Research Centre for Bamboo as Building Materials as a model of deep Fujian-Hong Kong university synergy, close integration of academia-local government-industry, and the seamless development of industry-academia-research-application.
Mr. Zhu Changkai stated that hosting the seminar in Yong'an City demonstrated great care and attention for this former central revolutionary base area. It focuses not only on enhancing the "hard power" of industrial development—such as the production processes and market promotion of bamboo building materials—but also on strengthening the "soft power" for sustainable industrial growth, particularly industry-academia integration and training professionals needed for rural revitalization. This aligns perfectly with Yong'an's current needs for transforming its bamboo industry and will positively drive the comprehensive revitalization of Yong'an's countryside and the development of its bamboo sector.
Prof. Sun Xuegeng indicated that Fujian College of Water Conservancy and Electric Power would seize this opportunity to integrate resources and strengthen collaborative innovation with institutions like The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Fujian University of Technology. The focus will be on exploring research and talent cultivation in green building and low-carbon materials. This will support fundamental research and applied transformation of bamboo building materials in areas such as structural performance optimization, standardized production, and integration with smart construction, providing talent and technological support for the industry's innovative development.
During the seminar, four parties signed the Cooperation Framework Agreement on Fundamental Research, Application, and Standard Development of Bamboo as Building Materials. Wu Renhua and Zhu Changkai jointly unveiled the plaque for the "Research Center for Bamboo as Building Materials," marking a new stage in the construction of a government-university-enterprise collaborative innovation platform in the field of bamboo material research.
In the academic exchange session, Prof. Wang Yuhong and Associate Prof. Huang Yun'er from PolyU delivered presentations titled Economic and Environmental Analysis of the Bamboo Industry Chain and Its Future Development Potential and Application of Bamboo-Timber Structures in Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Construction, respectively. Dr. Lian Caiping from Fujian University of Technology presented Fundamental Research on Bamboo and Its Applications. These three reports focused on bamboo industry development and academic research, covering the entire value chain and promoting academic exchange and collaborative exploration in the field.
Participants also held discussions on the production and market promotion of bamboo building materials, as well as industry-academia integration for cultivating rural revitalization talent. They conducted field visits to Fujian Heqichang Bamboo Industry Co., Ltd. and Fujian Zhuli Space Home Technology Co., Ltd., inspecting automated bamboo processing production lines and bamboo structure building application scenarios.
Online coverage (Chinese only):
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Qo9RNFsovvYjcPRXxX7sng
