Torch of Craftsmanship Passed Down
Deep Cultivation Beneath the City

Professor Shu Yu’s Research Materials Donation Ceremony & Academic Journey Sharing Event

On the morning of May 28, on the occasion of the 26th National Science and Technology Week and the 10th National Science and Technology Workers’ Day, the event titled “Torch of Craftsmanship Passed Down, Deep Cultivation Beneath the City” — Professor Shu Yu’s Research Materials Donation Ceremony and Academic Journey Sharing Event, hosted by the Jiangsu Society for Underground Space, was successfully held in Nanjing. Professor Shu Yu and He Lei from Tongji University, Associate Researcher Zhu Liangcheng from Shandong University, Society Chairman Huang Fumin, Vice Chairmen Ge Weiya, Jiang Gang, and Guo Dongjun, Executive Directors Ji Hongling and Cao Huajuan, Secretary General Li Ao, representatives of the Society’s branches, and more than 20 experts, scholars, young students from universities, research institutes, planning and design units inside and outside the province attended the event.

Visiting the Underground Space Science Museum and the Donation Ceremony

Attendees first visited the Underground Space Science Museum. The Society’s Secretary General introduced in detail the exhibits donated by Professor Shu Yu, allowing guests to closely view the precious materials he donated. Subsequently, a brief and solemn donation handover and certificate presentation ceremony was held. Society Chairman Huang Fumin accepted the donation on behalf of the Society and presented an honorary certificate to Professor Shu Yu. Professor Shu Yu is one of the key pioneers in China’s urban underground space field. Caring deeply about the industry’s development and young talent cultivation, he took the initiative to donate his early audiovisual materials, research results, project cases, books, and other valuable materials collected and preserved over many years to the Underground Space Science Museum. Among them, the original 1991 Tokyo Declaration is exhibited for the first time, becoming a core exhibit of great historical value. In 1991, on behalf of China, he attended the 4th International Conference on Underground Space (ACUUS) in Tokyo, where he and representatives from seven other countries signed the Tokyo Declaration. These materials capture the early scientific research exploration of the underground space industry, fill a gap in the museum’s historical records of the industry’s early development, and hold great historical, academic, and educational value.

Donation Ceremony

Discussion and Exchange

Keynote Talk

In the keynote sharing session, Professor Shu Yu, under the title “Fifty Years of Passionate Work and Joyful Endeavor,” systematically reviewed his half-century academic journey and research insights. Starting with his graduation from Tongji University’s Underground Architecture Department in 1977 and staying on to teach, he used 25 key events as a narrative thread to vividly recount his complete journey from early theoretical exploration, Sino-Japanese academic exchanges, major engineering practices, to national policy formulation. Professor Shu emphasized the need for an “open vision, inclusive and eclectic” approach in the underground space field and the importance of learning from international advanced experience. He concluded by proposing the academic proposition of a “new discipline of national land and underground space resources,” calling for innovation in the scientific and academic systems of underground space in the context of the new era.

Passing the Torch: Young Scholars Discuss the Industry’s Future

During the interactive exchange, participants spoke enthusiastically. Professor He Lei from Tongji University and Associate Researcher Zhu Liangcheng from Shandong University, as students of Professor Shu Yu, fondly recalled his teachings and profound influence. Society Vice Chairman Guo Dongjun noted that Professor Shu has guided the development direction of China’s underground space utilization, leaving behind invaluable learning and research materials. Society Vice Chairman and Chair of the Education Professional Committee Jiang Gang said, “Professor Shu laid important foundations for the structure and knowledge system of the entire discipline. His scholarly spirit is the most valuable spiritual benchmark for our younger generation.” Several young engineers and graduate students shared the inspiration they gained from Professor Shu’s writings and talks, expressing their determination to follow his example, keep the industry in mind, be rigorous and pragmatic, and bravely explore to advance the underground space cause.

Professor Shu Yu’s Message

Professor Shu Yu concluded with a message: jointly building a “new dream for national land and underground space.” He said: In recent years, I have been pondering how China’s underground space cause can achieve sustainable development. Standing at the peak of the new era of national land and space resource planning, construction, and high-quality development, how can we innovate new concepts, new technologies, new methods, and new theories for the development, utilization, operation, and management of national land and underground space resources? Through this [Underground Space Science Museum], I offer a modest spur to invite colleagues to collaboratively create, for the 22nd century, a “New Discipline of National Land and Underground Space Resources,” innovating concepts and re-establishing a new theory for the development, utilization, operation, and management of underground space resources in China’s national land and space (including urban space, agricultural space, ecological space, and other spaces) and even in outer space (the moon and Mars).

Event Conclusion

This donation ceremony and sharing event, centered on the theme of “Honoring predecessors, preserving memories, inspiring future generations,” not only completed the handover of precious research materials but also achieved the relay of the industry’s spirit. The Jiangsu Society for Underground Space will properly preserve and fully utilize these precious materials, displaying and disseminating them through the Science Museum platform to the industry and the public, allowing Professor Shu Yu’s academic achievements and scholarly spirit to continue illuminating the path for those who come after, promoting the underground space industry’s high-quality development in the new era.

The original 1991 Tokyo Declaration donated by Professor Shu Yu stands as a testament to the statement, “The 21st century is the century for the development of underground space by mankind.” It not only bears witness to the pioneering spirit of earlier generations—“open vision, inclusive and eclectic”—but also inspires us to continue striving and to move to the center of the world stage. More than thirty years later, this vision will be carried forward by the Jiangsu Society for Underground Space. The Society has successfully won the bid to host the 2027 International Conference on Underground Space (ACUUS), marking the return of this major conference to China after nearly two decades. From Professor Shu signing the Tokyo Declaration on behalf of China to the Society hosting ACUUS 2027 on behalf of China, this handover between two generations is a powerful response to the “new discipline of national land and underground space.” Let us meet in 2027 and jointly write a new chapter for underground space in China.

TOKYO DECLARATION ON URBAN UNDERGROUND UTILIZATION