On the afternoon of the 14^th of December, RUC’s School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (SARD) held the “Fortnightly Forum” in Mingde Main Building. Academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Lanzhou University professor NAN Zhibiao gave an academic paper on the topic “grasslands, prataculture and pratacultural science.” Professor NAN started by introducing some basic concepts related to grasslands, prairies, and prataculture, raising the point that grasslands management requires implementing the core principle of linking grains, grass, and livestock. In the face of present national systems for grassland management, professor NAN raised five key points: first, grassland is not potential farmland, and it is not wasteland; second, grassland is a living resource as well as having an ecological function, it requires more investment and also needs economists to factor it into their calculated rates of return; three, moderate use of grasslands is better than non-use or overuse; fourth, if agriculture doesn’t include herbivorous animal husbandry it is not modern agriculture; fifth, grasslands are a complicated system featuring a feedback system characterised by “nature-society-economy,” and only through pratacultural science can we resolve the problems it faces, hence we need to develop multidisciplinary research on it. Professor NAN also discussed some of the key points and findings from his latest research, such as grassland carrying capacity, construction of settlements for herders, working and roaming in grasslands, and the social, economic, and environmental effects of grasslands enclosure. He concluded by expressing his hope that everyone would follow these important issues raised by his research. Following the report, professor NAN patiently and attentively responded to questions from students of the SARD. QIU Huanguang, “Youth Changjiang Scholarship” recipient from the SARD hosted the lecture. QIU Huanguang first reviewed some of the collaborative research that professor NAN had engaged in, stating that this process had done much to increase learning in China. He praised professor NAN for his talk which explained the profound in simple terms, and explored a research area worthy of wide interest. Some of the key points of the lecture were that grasslands have an important productive function as well as an increasingly important ecological function, and have significant role to play for stability and poverty reduction in China’s border regions. SARD Dean TANG Zhong expressed his thanks on behalf of the school to professor NAN, noting that prataculture is an important aspect of modern agriculture, that its history stretches into the past and it likewise has a long future. He closed by encouraging educators and students alike to pay attention to research in prataculture from the perspective of economic management. RUC University Council Chairwoman JIN Nuo met with professor NAN after the lecture. Chairwoman JIN had previously met professor NAN during her time in Xinjiang, and expressed thanks to professor NAN for taking time from his busy schedule to come to RUC to give a lecture for the teachers and students, also expressing hope that professor NAN’s ideas can help guide the academic research in agricultural economic management. Professor NAN stated his wish that the economic management aspect of prataculture can receive the support of RUC, also hoping to expand collaboration and exchanges between RUC and Lanzhou University. Professor NAN is a renowned expert in the field of Pratacultural Science in China, a professor at Lanzhou University School of Pratacultural Science, also holds the position of deputy Chair of the China Grassland Society, is a continuously serving member of the International Grassland Congress, and has separately received second and third prize in the National Scientific and Technological Progress Awards.