The Guest Laboratory opened with a symposium on developmental biology in November 1985 -- a date related to the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the cooperation between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Max Planck Society. The idea for this new type of laboratory came about in the early 1980s from a joint initiative by Professor Zhuang Xiaohui, director of the Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology (now merged with the Institute of Biochemistry), and Professor Uli Schwarz, director of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tubingen. In the 1930s, Professor Zhuang had studied in Germany and had received his Ph. D. from Professor Karl von Frisch in Munich. Together with Professor Schwarz he was seeking a solution to improve training conditions and future perspectives of young talented Chinese scientists and students in the field of developmental biology. They were convinced that there was an urgent need for communication between Chinese students, junior scientists and experienced researchers from abroad, including the offer of facilities for joint experimentation and practical training.
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