Botanical illusions of two experts from the CAS Kunming Institute of Botany ZENG Xiaolian and YANG Jiankun were on the spotlight at the International Conference, Exhibition and Illustration Workshop held from July 30 to August 4 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The conference was attended by some 100 experts from more than 20 countries or regions all over the world including China, the US, the UK, the Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, the ROK, Singapore and Thailand. Before the origin and development of languages the human beings communicated through illustrations and symbols. This was depicted in ancient rock paintings and murals. As civilization marched ahead only the media and the dyes used for paintings were changed. Scientific illustration is of recent origin dating back to the 17th century. Within this short period it has undergone a sea of change. Scientific Illustration is very popular throughout the world and the illustrations are able to support the scientific works in various ways. It is said where thousand words fail a simple illustration can be more effective. Moreover, this activity can be a window of beauty to inspire people to understand the value of natural resources, particularly the plants, which are disappearing fast from the planet due to various reasons. Botanic illustration can be effective tool to teach conservation education. In recognition of the contributions achieved by Chinese botanical artists, it is decided that the next session of the seminar is to be convened in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The event is to commemorate the 70th founding anniversary of the CAS Kunming Institute of Botany.