The Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Macromolecular Stress Responses was established in 2022 with the approval of the Department of Science and Technology of Shanxi Province, and is hosted by Shanxi Normal University. The Laboratory Director is Professor Han Rong (Level II) of Shanxi Normal University, and the Chair of the Academic Committee is Academician Chong Kang from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The laboratory currently occupies over 1,200 m² of floor space and is equipped with research facilities valued at more than 13 million RMB. Employing biological and chemical methodologies, the laboratory aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the stress responses of macromolecules in crop plants and other plant species. Operating under the director responsibility system led by the host institution, the laboratory maintains relatively independent management over human, financial, and material resources, and adheres to an open, flowing, joint, and competitive operational mechanism, with well‑established management regulations and working procedures. The research platform has 32 permanent research staff members, all of whom hold doctoral degrees; 18 are under the age of 40. Among them are 1 recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and 8 provincial/ministerial level talents.

Guided by the major needs of Shanxi Province and rooted at the frontiers of basic biological sciences, the laboratory fully leverages the disciplinary strengths of Biology and Chemistry, continuously promoting interdisciplinary integration and collaborative innovation. It supports the development of Shanxi’s characteristic agriculture through the biological mechanisms of plant macromolecular stress responses. The laboratory has long‑standing expertise in plant responses to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, salt, drought, and osmotic stress, with focused research on: the damage and repair mechanisms of plant macromolecules under UV stress; the regulation of protein modifications in plant stress responses; the characterization and activity of plant macromolecules under stress conditions; and the molecular mechanisms of phytohormones in stress signaling. The laboratory aspires to become a center for scientific research and technological innovation, an international hub for academic cooperation and exchange, and a cradle for cultivating high‑level innovative talents, while leading the development of biological disciplines in Shanxi Province.

Concentrating on the molecular mechanisms of plant macromolecular stress responses and emphasizing interdisciplinary integration and collaborative innovation, the laboratory has published over 100 papers in internationally renowned journals such as The Plant Cell, Plant Physiology, The Plant Journal, Journal of Experimental Botany, Plant Science, Molecular Plant, and Environmental Science: Nano. It has also received one National Science and Technology Progress Award, two provincial science and technology awards, one Chinese Agricultural Science and Technology Award from the Ministry of Agriculture, and has been granted 3 invention patents.