International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, IEAS

Academician

Hejian ZHU

Profile:

Elected Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences in 2001, Professor Hejian Zhu is a Chinese soil geographer and land-resource scientist whose research and professional work have focused on soil geography, land-resource development and conservation, and interdisciplinary research linking soil science with geography. Born in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, in June 1931, he entered Fujian Agricultural College in 1949 and graduated in 1953, beginning an academic career that has spanned more than seven decades. He subsequently joined Fujian Normal University, where he served as President and is now Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the School of Geographical Sciences. He has also directed the university’s Research Centre for Natural Resources and provided academic leadership for its key discipline of Resources and Environmental Science, doctoral programme in physical geography, and national training base for basic-science talent in geography. He has served as a Standing Council Member of the China Society of Natural Resources, President of the Fujian Society of Natural Resources, and President of the National Research Society of Soil Geography of Higher Education Institutions. His honours include the China Geographic Science Achievement Award, the title of National Model Worker of the Education System, recognition as a National Outstanding Scientific and Technological Worker, and the State Council Special Allowance. His career has combined research in soil geography and land resources with university leadership and the training of geographers.

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Professor Zhu’s research has centred on the geographical characteristics, development, and conservation of soils and land resources, particularly in Fujian and southern China. He was among the first researchers to identify vertisols in Fujian and conducted systematic studies of their fertility characteristics and agricultural properties, contributing to the understanding and utilisation of soils in tropical and subtropical regions. His broader investigations of soils and land resources in the mountainous areas of southeastern China have informed regional resource assessment and agricultural development. His long-term work in Changting, an area affected by severe soil erosion, examined the interaction between ecological restoration, soil conservation, and regional economic development. On this basis, he developed approaches integrating natural vegetation recovery, soil fertility improvement, and resource utilisation, and proposed a broader strategy linking soil-and-water conservation with regional development. Working with doctoral students and local partners, he also developed models for agricultural resource optimisation and established research and experimental bases in Zhangpu and Changting, integrating teaching, research, and agricultural practice. Professor Zhu has published 17 monographs and more than 130 academic papers, as well as numerous translations. His textbooks Soil Geography and World Soil Geography helped introduce developments in international soil classification into Chinese university and postgraduate education, while Cross-Disciplinary Research on Soil Science and Geography systematised his approach to integrating the two fields. He has led more than ten national and provincial research projects and received numerous awards for scientific research, teaching, and academic publishing. Through sustained research, regional field practice, and long-term contributions to geographic education, Professor Zhu has contributed to the development of soil geography, land-resource science, and interdisciplinary geographic research in China.