1 Treatise published
The National Symposium on Danxia Landform and Tourism Development was established in 1991. From 1991 to 2006, the Research Society has convened ten national symposia successively in Danxiashan of Guangdong(1991), Wuyishan of Fujian(1993), Langshan of Hu’nan(1994), Kanbula of Qinghai(1997), Wanfoshan of Hu’nan(1998), Xishui of Guizhou(1999), Taining of Fujian(2001), Xinchang of Zhejiang(2002), Yulin of Guangxi(2004) and Zhangye of Gansu(2006), publishing nine analects of more than 300 papers. Members of Research Society also published nearly hundred papers on Danxia landform in various academic journals (incomplete statistics), and published three monographs. Still, they published a large number of popular science articles on Danxia landform tourism resources in other newspapers, which makes great contribution to the construction of Danxia landform science and the popularization of scientific knowledge.

In the research production of Danxia landform, papers of regional Danxia landform tourism development and tourism development in Danxia landform zone take up the most, accounting for 53.6 percent all together, which reflects that the will of this Research Society is to combine basic research and applied research. This is followed by the basic research of Danxia landform (including the general basic theoretical research, regional Danxia landform research and basic research of individual Danxia landform zone), accounting for 33.9 percent. Other studies, involving general issues of the development and utilization of Danxia landform, cultural tourism, planning and design, historical celebrities, foreign Danxia landform and commemorative articles, are of smaller proportion of all, the paper of which accounting for 12.5% of all articles totally.

2 Fundamental Researches on Danxia Landform
The definition of Danxia Landform can be expressed as “landform made up of non-marine red clastic rock and characterized by red walls and red cliffs”. From the 1920s, Chinese scholars have experienced initiation, taking shape and development, the three stages of research. As a new field of Geomorphology, Danxia Geomorphology has been increasingly mature.

2.1 The Research Stages Division
(1) Initiation (1928-1949): The concept of “Danxia Landform” was established, the stratigraphic horizon of “Danxia Bed” in South China region was defined, and the academic research on Danxia ,as a special landform type, had just started up.
(2) Taking shape (1950-1990): The research achievements of Danxia Landform were summed up and this concept had been wildly promulgated. As an independent landform type, the academic research on Danxia had taken shape.
(3) Development (1991 to data): The research on Danxia landform and Tourism development has been launched throughout the country, and the basic framework of Danxia landform, as an independent subject, has been formed.

2.2 The concept, characteristics, classification and distribution of Danxia landform
The definition of Danxia landform tends to consolidate, which is “The Danxia landform is a sort of peculiar landform, which is based on red terrestrial clastic rocks, and characterized by red cliffs”.
According to the sum up by Prof. Huangjin, the characters of the landform are: The top slope controlled by sub-horizontal bedding plane; The steep-faced slope controlled by vertical joints;The gentle colluvial slope controlled by the angle of internal friction of the colluvial rock blocks.
In the light of the research in recent years, the Danxia landform of China is widely distributed, it could be found in tropical, subtropical humid zone, temperate humid and semi-humid zone, and semi arid-arid zone as well as in the cold plateau of Qinghai-Tibet.
Presently, the type of Danxia landform is mainly based on two classification system by Prof.Huangjin and Prof. Penghua.
Huang Jin, etc. (1992) classification system
Preliminary classification scheme for Danxia Landform

Data origin: Modified after Huang Jin et al.

Penghua (2002) classification system , classified by the characters of detrital matter

2.3 The material foundation of of the development of Danxia Landform
Red beds are a non-marine red clastic rock series and a deposit in the closed inland sedimentary basin; The red beds were formed should be similar to a tropical, subtropical or a alternating dry and wet seasonal climate;Red beds are very contrast in clastic composition. They may consist of pluvial mud gravel, intermittent river bed gravel, fluvial sandy gravel, river bed sands which display sand ripple and which experienced long-distance transportation, sandy layer in lake-inlet delta front, and pelitic-dominant lake basin silty or mucky deposits. The lithic and rudaceous fragments are the mixture of debris from the provenance in a mountainous area around the basin. The sand grains are dominated by quartz, with partly feldspar, while the cementing materials consist largely of mud and sand, and the chemical cementing materials are mainly siliceous, calcareous and ferruginous substances.
The lithology, rock texture and structure of red bed are highly variable. Relatively speaking, diluvial or fluvial conglomerate and sandy conglomerate cemented with siliceous, iron, and mud are more stable and hard, while the siltstone and mudstone deposited near the basin center, contain more soluble carbonate in their matrix with more water, so they are more permeable and soft.
The age in which red beds were formed came after the appearance of land sufficiently large in dimensions. The epoch in which the red beds were formed on the Wondwana Old Land can date back to Late Proterozoic Era, and that on the Euro-American Old Land can trace back to Early Palaeozoic Era, while the red beds in China were mostly formed in Mesozoic.

2.4 Geologic structure is controlling the development of Danxia Landform
The controlling effect of the development of Danxia Landform by geologic structure, mainly manifested as the controlling effect of regional structure on sedimentary basin, the controlling effect of faults and joints on hilly block distribution framework, the controlling effect of the attitude of strata on the geometry of the slope, and the controlling effect of vertical movement of Earth’s crust on the development process of landform.

2.5 The Exogenic Processes are the sculptor of Danxia Landform
The exogenic processes responsible for the development of Danxia Landform mainly include flowing water, weathering and gravitational processes, of which the flowing water process is the main factor in sculpturing the landform. In arid regions, wind abrasion plays an significant role in sculpturing the outward appearance of landform; in moist regions, however, biological weathering become more or less active.

2.6 Fundamental process in the development of Danxia Landform
The process in the development of Danxia Landform is a exceptive geomorphic development process, and the essential pattern is that: uplift of red basins---down cut by flowing water---form dissected valley and tunnel-like vally---slope collapse---escarpment slope retreat---the hilltop surface dissected and diminished---fortress-like residual peaks---isolated stone columns.

3 Application research of tourism development
Tourism industry develops rapidly since reform and opening up in our country. With the progressive development of many Danxia landform in scenic areas, new demands of the basic research and tourism development practice research on Danxia landform are put up. Danxia landform Tourism Development Research Association is born because of the development of tourism. From the start, it embarked on integration with the application. It has been insisting "developing science, servicing society" for more than decades years. It also breaks the limits of different disciplines, and unites the research strength of different disciplines, providing direct or indirect services for the regional tourism development of Danxia landform and contributing positively to Chinese tourism industry.

Since the establishment of National Symposium on Danxia Landform and Tourism Development, it has convened ten national symposia. Each of the symposia makes a lot of research work for local tourism development, and puts up many good suggestions, which not only improves the visibility of local places, but also promotes the tourism economic development of Danxia landform area. Especially, the Research Society often becomes a strong stimulative factor for new developed or undeveloped tourism Danxia landform. For example, the development of Langshan, Kanbula, Tongdao, Xishui is driven by the Research Society in different degrees. Scholars from different region participated in the evaluation and development practice of tourism resources in Danxia landform area actively. Through writing articles, advising and planning for local places, or recommending to the authorities and leaders, even social promotion, members of Research Society all participated in the research of Danxia landform tourism development in different degrees. The active work of members was affirmed by the local community.