This is the 9th Symposium on Electrokinetic Remediation. In Chinese, "9" is pronounced as "(sic)" which means longevity. As the first symposium of the series to be held on Chinese soil, it may be appropriate to follow the Chinese tradition so as to set the stage for the longevity of the symposium series. Therefore, it is time for us to recognize the milestone developments of past researchers, to clarify some of the myths, and to establish future research directions of electrokinetic remediation. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.