Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Year of the Hare. Wikipedia says that hares are associated with moon deities, and carry the symbol of rebirth and resurrection. How true this is as we expect the final passing of the pandemic in 2023 will bring new life to our society and all kinds of scientific activities. These include, of course, the resumption of on-site meetings at ISSI-BJ.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank many of you who participated in our scientific program over the last three years by giving online talks that have kept the spirit of space exploration going. Your important contributions and kind help when they were most needed will never be forgotten. We hope to be able to welcome you to ISSI-BJ in person in the near future. In particular, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of ISSI-BJ in July and are therefore looking forward to meeting many of you again.
Finally, rabbits and hares are seen as good luck signs in China, representing peace and tranquility, both of which are urgently needed today. Let us hope that 2023 will be a year marked by peace on Earth and cooperation in space. But to paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, having hope for peace and cooperation is not enough, we must work at them. Let us all do just that!
Best wishes,
Wing Ip
