Introduction to the Chinese Chemical Society
The Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) is an academic organization formed by Chinese chemists of their own accord with the purpose of uniting Chinese chemists at home and abroad to promote the development of chemistry in China.
The CCS was founded during a meeting of preeminent chemists in Nanjing on August 4, 1932. It currently has more than 110,000 individual members and 180 organizational members. There are 7 Divisions covering the major areas of chemistry: physical, inorganic, organic, polymer, analytical, applied and chemical education, as well as 31 Commissions, including catalysis, computational chemistry, photochemistry, electrochemistry, organic solid chemistry, environmental chemistry, and many other sub-fields of the chemical sciences. The CCS also has 10 committees, including the Woman’s Chemists Committee and Young Chemists Committee. More on the CCS governance can be found here.
Activities of the Society
• Conferences. The CCS holds 40-50 domestic symposia and meetings in Chinese and 5-10 international conferences in English annually that cover a broad range of topics pertaining to the chemical sciences. The CCS Congress, which is held every two years, welcomes over 13,000 participants, and it is by far the largest and best-attended academic event in chemistry in China.
• Publications. The CCS has always considered the publishing of journals an important task of the Society and currently collaborates with institutions and organizations in China to co-publish 26 journals, in Chinese and English, 15 of which are collected by the Science Citation Index (SCI). The CCS has established its own publications program and launched its flagship journal, CCS Chemistry, in 2019.
• Awards. The CCS has established 32 science and technology awards, including the Chinese Chemical Society Youth Chemistry Award.
• Education and Promotion of Chemistry. The CCS has always valued chemical education and the dissemination of chemical knowledge. The Society plays an important role in standardizing the Chinese chemical terminology. The Chinese Chemistry Olympiad, held by CCS each year, attracts over 170,000 high school students. The CCS also operates over 30 Local Sections in provinces and autonomous regions. The main activities of Local Sections are to organize meetings or to hold lectures of scientific interest for their members. Sections also help implement most of the Society’s academic and educational programs.
• International Collaboration. The CCS partners with a number of international organizations, such as the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), to further the promotion of chemistry at home and abroad. The CCS also collaborates with other international chemical societies on several activities, including education, chemical information accessibility, conferences, and publications.
