At the closing ceremony of the 4^th International Symposium on the family Zingiberaceae 3-6 July 2006, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Dr. Kai Larsen, a world authority on ginger plants, declared that the 5^th international ginger symposium is to be hosted by XTBG in July 2009.

The symposium covered the topics wide ranging from taxonomy, ecology and phylogeny of the plants to the ornamental, food and medicinal values of the family Zingiberaceae. XTBG scientists Prof. Li Qingjun, Assoc. Prof. Xia Yongmei, Assoc. Prof. Gao Jiangyun participated in the symposium and made oral presentations.

  At the closing ceremony, both Dr. W. John Kress of US National Museum of Natural History and Dr. Li Qingjun of XTBG, on behalf of their own respective institution, were applying for hosting the 5^th International Ginger Symposium. After their presentations and through voting by show of hands, 90 percent representatives agreed that the 5^th International Ginger Symposium will be held at XTBG.

    The symposium highlighted recent research in the Zingiberaceae as well as providing the venue for researchers to meet and discuss their work. The series of symposia have all been held in Asia,- the first in Hat Yai, Thailand, the second in South China Botanical Garden, the third in Khon Kaen, Thailand, the fourth in Singapore, and the fifth to be Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.

The Ginger Symposium is held once every four years. But to meet the need of the fast development of research on Zingiberaceae, it is to be held once every three years from this year on.