As one of many facets of ESA-China cooperation, the Second ESA-China Mars Advanced School is telling us more about the goodwill and intentions for collaboration for both parties as it was unveiled in Weihai on September 12, 2011, the traditional Chinese Mid-autumn Festival. 

The involvement of Wu Ji, Director General of National Space Science Center and Li Guoping, the Deputy Director General from China National Space Administration, manifested the important status of the Mars School.

ESA Mars Express project scientist Agustin Chicarro, who initiated the first school and organized all the lecturers, delivered a speech on the retrospection of the first school and expectation of the current school. On the opening day, Professor Wu Ji delivered two reports: Space Science Missions in the next 5 Years and Medium Plan till 2020 and Scientific Objectives of YH-1 and Updates, which broadens the horizon of the participating students.

There are all together 15 lecturers, 8 from Europe and 7 from China. The European lecturers come from a variety of research institutes and the Chinese lecturers come from National Space Science Center, National Astronomical Observatory of China, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. The 11 day course includes a range of topics about the interior of Mars and the atmosphere of Mars.

There are 45 students from Mainland and Taiwan participating in the school who come from a diversified research institutes, such as Wuhan University, Beijing University, Shandong University, National Space Science Center, Beijing Aerospace Control Center, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory etc. The students include young research fellows working in various institutes, post-docs and graduate students.