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Sri Lankan ties cemented

The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka and the 60th anniversary of the independence of Sri Lanka were celebrated last week with a gala dinner and a cultural extravaganza in Beijing.

The event, named "Sri Lanka - Beyond Your Dreams", had First Lady of Sri Lanka Shiranthi Rajapaksa (pictured), China's vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Gu Xiulian, who is also president of the All-China Women's Federation, and some 600 other guests from both countries attending.

Rajapaksa awarded certificates to three people who have promoted China-Sri Lanka friendship, namely Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Wan Jifei, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and Thosmas Cheung, consulate of Sri Lanka in Hong Kong. She also donated 50,000 yuan ($7,000) to needy Chinese women and children.

Rajapaksa said the China-Sri Lanka friendship year beginning in 2007 witnessed many activities between the peoples of China and Sri Lanka. The First Lady, accompanied her husband, President Rajapaksa, on a visit to China in February, 2007. She said she was impressed with the way women in China are involved in the development process of the country.

Showcasing French film

The fifth French Film Panorama in China will get underway in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan, from April 10 till April 21.

The selection of recently released feature movies and short films, established in cooperation with the Chinese Film authorities, will be presented at commercial multiplexes. The movies will screen in their original versions, with Chinese subtitles, and will be followed by question and answer sessions.

A French delegation of renowned directors and actors, as well as distributors/producers, will make the trip to China. It will promote the films through interviews, TV shows like CCTV6 and Internet portals such as Sina.com.

Panorama will start on April 10 in Beijing, and the opening ceremony will take place with the screening of Astrix aux Jeux Olympiques, directed by Thomas Langmann and Frederic Forestier. A ceremony will take place in Shanghai on April 15, in the presence of the entire delegation.

Head and shoulders above rest

The basketball star Yao Ming topped the Forbes list of Chinese celebrities for the fifth time, staying top of this year's list, which was unveiled on Tuesday.

Yao, who earned 387.8 million yuan (about $54.6 million), leads the list both in earnings and influence.

In Olympics-mad China, the biggest winners must be the athletes, said Yang Linran, one of the people responsible for producing the list.

The average position of sports stars ranks six places higher compared to last year, which shows the potential of the Chinese sports industry, Yang said.

The film director Zhang Yimou drops from last year's third place to 23rd, while film star Zhang Ziyi (pictured) drops one from fourth to fifth.

Since its inception in 2004 The Forbes' Chinese celebrity List has ranked China's actors, actresses, singers and athletes according to their press coverage, web hits and commercial value in the previous year.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily 03/13/2008 page18)