Prof. Dr. Ma Keping, Director of Institute of Botany is introducing the general information of IOB to Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Prachanda

　　 On the afternoon of Aug. 25, Mr. Pranchanda, Prime Minister of Nepal visited Institute of Botany with his wife and Nepalese Foreign Minister. Prof. Ma Keping, Director of Institute of Botany met with Prachanda in the Multi-functional hall and introduced the history and general information of Institute of Botany to Prachanda. Prachanda favorably commented Institute of Botany for its significant role in Integrative Plant Biology and expressed his interests in cooperation between the botanists of China and Nepal.

　　After the meeting, Prachanda visited the State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Borany and highly evaluated the achievement got by Institute of Botany in the field of plant taxonomy research. He also expressed the hope that the Institute of Botany could have an opportunity to Nepal to collect specimens and train their young people.

　　Prachanda then visited the Crape Myrtle Garden personally and planted a ginkgo tree that represents the China-Nepal friendship. In the Center for Popular Science and the Perennial Section, Prachanda took a walk around, watching the scenery and learning the cultivation of various types of plant. Prachanda was very interested in the history that Last Emperor of China, Mr. Pu Yi had worked as a gardener in Botanical Garden for one year in the early 1960’s. Two old workers who had worked together with Pu Yi also told him of some interesting things that happened when Pu Yi worked in the Garden.

　　It is reported that Prime Minister Prachanda was invited by Chinese Government to attend the closing ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Nepal ended its monarchy at the end of May this year, and Prachanda has just been sworn in as new prime minister on August 18.

　　(Foreign Affairs Office)