Materials research in recent decades has made it increasingly clear that the behavior of an assembly of interacting electrons will routinely surprise us with entirely unexpected phenomena when probed in high magnetic fields. The years ahead promise even more great scientific excitement for research in high magnetic fields. Communicating this excitement, identifying emerging research areas, fostering close and broad collaborative research, and eventually advancing our understanding of new physics are the goals of this conference. The newly established High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CHMFL) which features the highest steady magnetic fields (up to 38.5 Tesla) along with a wide range of measurement probes in Asia, will also provide the conference participants and potential users with insights into recent advances and a user-oriented research program in the laboratory.