Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Gastrointestinal endoscopy was first introduced from Japan into China around 1970 used Fiberoptic Endoscopy. Subsequently the Japanese doctors went to China to teach Endoscopy in 1975. From 1973 ERCP was introduced to China by Dr. Chen Min-zhang, who was the Minister of Ministry of Public Health of China. Around 1985 they intended to establish the Endoscopy Society which was not allowed during that time. After over 3 years struggle, with the help of Dr. William S.C. Chao to negotiate with the Authority explaining the importance of having an independent Endoscopy Society, then China Society of Digestive Endoscopy (CSDE) was finally established in 1989 in Beijing. Dr. Chao promised to organize a joint International Meeting between Hong Kong Society of Digestive Endoscopy and Chinese Society of Digestive Endoscopy in every 2 years. Since then during the last 20 years, 10 joint International Meetings have been organized.

During the establishment, the President of CSDE was Dr. ZHANG Jin-kun, then Dr. YU Zhong-lin and Dr. ZHANG QI-lian, Dr. LI Zhao-shen and the current President is Dr. Zhan Shu-tian. All of them made great efforts to improve the wide application of gastrointestinal endoscopy in China. With the commitment of these Chinese endoscopists, the application of gastrointestinal endoscopy was widely available in China and much experience had been accumulated in the management of various digestive diseases.

With help of Dr. William S.C. Chao and Hong Kong Society of Digestive Endoscopy, the 1st Global Chinese Conference on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2005 (GCCGE 2005) was held in Shanghai, China from November 10 to 12, 2005. The GCCGE 2005 had gathered the leading experts in the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy such as Drs. William S.C. Chao, Nib Soehendra, Joseph Leung, Sydney C.S. Chung, Lok Tio, Joseph Sung, Yang. K. Chen, Kenneth Chang, and others. Thousands of Chinese endoscopists benefited from this training model and became leaders in their local centers. The 2nd Global Chinese Conference on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2009 (GCCGE 2009) was also held in Shanghai with great success.

CSDE and other three Chinese societies (Chinese Society of Surgery, Chinese Society of Hepatology, and Chinese Society of Gastroenterology) successfully took the host of the 2013 Asian Pacific Digestive Week and World Congress of Gastroenterology (APDW/WGO) jointly.