When snow storms were attacking the north part of China, Sanya in the south was still surrounded by green plants and warm wind. More than 30 pioneer scientists in the fields of statistical mechanics and complex system science from Europe, Hong Kong and China met each other during 20th-27th  Dec, 2010 in Sanya, to participate in the 2nd workshop to identify important directions in complex system sciences.

The 1st Sanya workshop was held in 4th -10th  Jan, 2010 in Sanya, with 15 experts to be the participants. In addition to reporting their recent progress and new discovery in complex system science within and outside the scientific community in China, these pioneer scientists also discuss about different approaches to facilitate the development of statistical physics and complex system science in China through international collaborations and publications.

This Sanya meeting is called by Center for Complex Systems of USST, Institute of Complex Adaptive Systems in Shanghai Association System Science (SASS) and sponsored by European Commission of Scientific Foundation (ECSF), Action for the USST, Science of Complex System and Socially intelligent icT (ASSYST) . There are more than 30 experts from various areas from statistical physics and complex systems. They are 4 from EU: Prof. Jeff. H. JOHNSON (Open University, UK, official of ECSF) , Prof. Jianwei ZHANG, Prof. Alexandre Q WANG (ISMANS, France), Dr. Ru WANG (ISMANS), and Chinese participants including: Academician Yu-Ping HUO (Zhengzhou University), Prof. Gang HU (Beijing Normal University), Prof. Lei-Han Tang (HongKong Baptist University), Prof. Pak-Ming HUI (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Prof. K.Y. Michael WONG (The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology), Prof. Changsong ZHOU (Hong Kong Baptist University), Prof. Keqing XIA (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Prof. Xu CAI (Huazhong Normal University), Prof. Bo ZHENG (Zhejiang University), Prof. Zeng-Ru DI (Beijing Normal University), Prof. ZongHua LIU (East China Normal University), Prof. Wei LI (Huazhong Normal University), Prof. Yougui WANG (Beijing Normal University), Prof. Wei-xing ZHOU (East China University of Science and Technology), Prof. Da-Ren HE (Yangzhou University, YZU), Prof. Jian WANG (Yangzhou University), Prof. Youjin DENG (University of Science and Technology of China), Prof. Wenge WANG (University of Science and Technology of China), Prof. Jianmei YANG (South China University of Technology), Prof. Yan GAO (University of Shanghai for Science & Technology), Prof. Hongan CHE (University of Shanghai for Science & Technology), Prof. Hengshan WANG (University of Shanghai for Science & Technology), Prof. Tao ZHOU (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China), Prof. Ming-Sheng SHANG (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China), Prof. Fei REN (East China University of Science and Technology). The coordinators are Prof.Yi-Cheng ZHANG (University of Fribourg, Switzerland), Prof. Bing-Hong WANG (Center for Complex Systems and Sciences USST, University of Science and Technology of China). The organization committee members include Prof. Jian-Guo LIU (University of Shanghai for Science & Technology), Dr. Zi-Ke ZHANG (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China), Dr Yujian LI (University of Science and Technology of China). All the travel expenses and local fees are sponsored by their respective participants. 

The goal of the workshop is twofold. Firstly, to report their recent progress in statistical mechanics and complex system science, and to overview the developments in the fields. Secondly, to identify important direction for the development of statistical mechanics in China, and to consolidate interdisciplinary and international collaborations among different research groups. These goals were solidly achieved by the meeting, and the broad age range of the participants also reflects the potential of the Chinese scientific community. The high quality of the seminal talks given by the participants well demonstrated the achievements of Chinese scholars in the recent years. All the important conclusions summarized from the fruitful presentations and discussions indicate a clear yet ambitious direction for the development of complex system science in China.

The opening ceremony of the workshop was held at 9:00 AM on 22nd Dec at the Crowne Plaza Hotel meeting room. On behalf of the workshop organization committee, Prof. Yi-Cheng ZHANG gave a talk to welcome all the pioneer scientists and describe the goals of the workshop. Prof. GUO, the Dean of Science School from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST), as a representative for the President Xiaoming XU and the Science School, also welcomed these pioneer scientists for further collaborations with scholar in their university. Due to the snow storm attacking the western Europe, Prof. Jeff. H. JOHNSON, although physically absent, still brought us an unforgettable presentation via video recording. As the chief leader of FARO（Flagship Transversal Coordination Action）project, Prof. JOHNSON introduced the structure, origin and development of EU 7th Framework Programme (FP7) and FARO. He summarized with the possibility of applying FARO jointly by China and EU, and also gave suggestions of how to apply European foundations jointly China and European research communities.

Prof. Jianwei ZHANG, as the head of FARO project, introduced the long-term China-EU collaboration research relations from the perspective of his ongoing robot-oriented research and development project. He has also pointed out the potential collaboration directions in both FET-7 and FET-8. Finally, he summarized with some important suggestions on steadily developing China-EU complexity collaboration collaborations from three points: (i) Organizing China-EU summer schools; (ii) Talented youth education; (iii) Jointly organizing complexity science forums.

There are totally 25 academic presentations during this Sanya workshop. These presentations included various research areas of modern statistical physics and complexity science.

Prof. Yu-ping HUO illustrated how to look into statistical physics from the perspective of complex systems. He pointed out that one would obtain much different limitation results between inside and outside the system when discussing the question of thermodynamic limitation, and there are also essential differences between unlimited and limited multi-particle systems. Prof. Huo suggested that the China team would stand in the world by simultaneously developing the basic research of complex systems and the theoretical statistical physics and engineering applications.

Prof. Gang HU introduced the recent progresses of their group on oscillatory complex networks consisting of excitable nodes. He illustrated that the reason of oscillatory is the existence of DPAD-based loop network structures.

Prof. Xu CAI introduced the research interests of their group. He showed some classical research cases in physics and Math history, and gave a brilliant dissertation of academic giants. Then he elicited his thought about the present maze of researches on complex systems, which showed his great confidence of the bright future of science.

Prof. Lei-Han TANG firstly looked back to the history of statistical physics from 1960s, and then pointed out that several unsolved and important yet basic questions of modern statistical physics. He also showed the distribution of the statistical physics science in the Asia-Pacific area. In particular, He highlighted both opportunities of challenges of modern statistical physics in China. Finally, Prof. Tang summarized with the introduction of recent progresses on the Bioinformatics, system biology and molecular biology.

Prof. Keqing XIA introduced the recent progresses on local dissipation in turbulence of their group, and pointed out that its universality is not contained in the mathematical form of probability density function, but in the related physics mechanisms.

Prof. Pak-Ming HUI introduced some interesting work about both real-world and online human behaviors, and showed recent progresses on complex adaptive systems and co-evolving dynamics of their group.

Prof. K.Y. Michael WONG introduced their recent progresses on complexity science and team building of physics department in HKUST. Prof. Wong also illustrated their research works on the impacts of short-term plasticity in neural networks.

Prof. Changsong ZHOU introduced recent advances on brain activity works of the nonlinear research center of HKBU, and showed their progresses on the structure, dynamics and plasticity of brain networks.

Prof. Alexandre Q WANG introduced the research interests of complex systems in ISMANS, and showed the research roadmap of complexity science of France. He reported their recent progresses on opinion dynamics and traffic dynamics.

Dr. Ru WANG introduced her recent works on political opinion networks. Different from classical considerations of following the mass effect, she pointed out that the particular double-layer sub-network structure played a critical role in the evolution of parties.

Prof. Bo ZHENG introduced their recent progress on applying statistical physics method in the research of financial systems in their modern physics center of Zhengjiang University. He emphasized on comparing the state-of-art research between Chinese and Western financial markets, with which he tried to reveal the essential differences between them. He summarized that Chinese financial market still stand on the immaturity stage of financial systems through the analysis of Leverage Effect.

Prof. Zeng-Ru DI looked back into the origin of complex system research in Beijing Normal University. He introduced their core research interest, Emergent Complexity, and reported their recent progresses on the relations among multi-scale system structure, function and robustness.

Prof. Yougui WANG introduced their recent progresses on restructuring the economic paradigm(collaborated with Prof. Yi-Cheng ZHANG et al), and reported the achievements of NESS 2011 Geneva conference. He summarized with their researches on the four fundamental elements underlying the new economic paradigm: value, information, time, and externalilty.

Prof. Zonghua LIU introduced their works on structure and function dynamics of complex works of their theoretical physics group in East China Normal University. He detailed reported their recent progresses on community-based disease spreading, option spreading and the impacts of target-driven travel on disease spreading.

Prof. Youjin DENG introduced the recent progresses of swarm-based algorithm simulated by Monte Carlo method. In particular, he introduced their innovation achievements of applying swarm-based algorithm in classical lattice models, quantum spin models and Fermi systems.

Prof. Wenge WANG introduced their recent progresses on theoretical quantum nonlinear systems, and illustrated the possibility of how to use measurement instrumental analysis based quantum theory to unified describe the objective world.

Prof. Jian WANG introduced their group members and research interests. He then reported his recent progresses on low dimension systems and energy transportation problem on complex networks. He also reported the team’s (led by Prof. Da-Ren HE) recent advances on the empirical and modeling works on bipartite cooperation-competition networks, and cross-connected networks related researches.

Prof. Jianmei YANG introduced their recent progresses on understanding system and complexity from the perspective of industrial structures in South China University of Technology. In particular, she emphasized on the application-oriented, human behaviors-based complexity and stakeholder coordination-based soft system methodology.

Prof. surveyed the directions of modern complex systems research. He specifically reported their achievements of the China National Key project, research on complex network based complex system dynamics and statistical behaviors, and introduced their recent progresses on nonlinear dynamic system coupling reaction, city traffic dynamics, econophysics, structure, function and dynamics on complex networks, infophysics, human dynamics, and collective behaviors, etc. 

Prof. Tao ZHOU introduced their recent progresses on complex systems and infophysics. In particular, he reported their most recent advances on the relation between Zipf’s law and Heaps’ law. He pointed out that Zipf’s law is more essential than Heaps’ law. He also emphasized on the importance of data analysis and information mining in complex systems research. Finally, he summarized with great wishes to share their data resource with all colleagues who wanted to collaborate, in order to promote the advancements of China complexity science research. 

Prof. Wei LI introduced his research experiences in Max Planck Institute in Germany, and detailed illustrated the operations and foundation supporting models in Max Planck Institute.

Prof. Hengshan WANG introduced their recent progresses on applying complex network theory in studying management of emergency events. He proposed that hypernework-based link prediction method, information broadcasting models, human dynamic mechanisms would have much wide application in studying the management of emergency events.

Prof. Wei-Xing ZHOU reported the most recent advances in the study of econophysics. He introduced their research achievements on probability distribution in high-frequency trade, multifractal analysis, complex networks. He emphasized that the study of economic complexity should target on solving real-world financial problems via various real cases.

Prof. Fei REN introduced her recent works about the study on trade package in Chinese socket market, and pointed out that this research had much theoretical and immediate significance in understanding the micro-structure of Chinese financial martket.

The round table in the afternoon on Dec. 24th was the panel discussion of this workshop. It was co-chaired by Gang HU, Lei-Han TANG, Jianwei ZHANG, Yi-Cheng ZHANG and Bing-Hong WANG.

Firstly, Prof. Gang HU reported the decision of China Physics Association on supporting the one-two-year conference of statistical physics and complex systems, and catered by Nanjing Normal University in 2011.

     Secondly, Prof. Hongan CHE introduced the structure of SHASS and complex system research group in USST, and the recent publication schedule and development plan of system science.

Thirdly, Prof. Bing-Hong WANG introduced the plan of 1st Sanya workshlp on applying China National Key project for statistical physics and complex systems. Prof. Da-Ren HE introduced the publication schedule of the series of Statistical Physics and Complex System Science.

   Finally, all the participants well discussed that how to promote the development of Chinese statistical physics and complexity science, how to bring various Chinese research groups into a whole, how to put into effect on collaborating with ECSF, and found the following agreements:

      1. Prof. Zeng-Ru DI, Prof. Da-Ren HE and Prof. Bing-Hong WANG continue to be responsible for the publication issues of the series. Before publication, the committee should write a progress report, which would be distributed to the workshop participants.

     2. All participants agreed with the decisions made by 2010 Beijing Statistical Physics and Complex Systems conference, including: promote the communication and cultivation of youth researcher, and promote the construction of research community. They also agreed to contend for the nomination of Statistical Physics and Complex Systems in the National Science & Technology Department and National Natural Science Foundation of China, and promote the great stride of China complexity science research.

    3. Build a non-official union of Chinese complexity science research groups based on related laws. The union would apply chairmen-on-duty  operation model to organized complexity related research. All the participants unanimously elected Prof. Lei-Han TANG to be the first chairmen-on-duty.

   4. This workshop called for the diminished Chinese research groups to aggressively communicate and collaborate with ECSF, European universities and institutes, and jointly apply EU research projects. It also appealed for the youth researchers in China to notice the ECSF sponsored complex system conferences, symposiums and summer schools.

From 25th -26th Dec. the committee organized various forms of  multilateral discussions, discussed the organization issues of the 5th China-EU Complexity Science summer school (2011, Switzerland), and Center for complex system science (USST) organized to visit European universities and institutes and ECSF, etc.

(written by Bing-Hong Wang, Yujian Li and Zi-Ke Zhang；