Inaugural trip to start off with big bang

More than 200 Chinese mainland tourists will leave today and tomorrow to join a celebration on Thursday in Washington DC, specially held for China's inaugural leisure tour group to the United States.

The tourists will leave from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to join the event seen as marking a new era in Sino-US relations.

Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, who has arrived in Washington for the fourth China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue, and US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, are also expected to attend the celebration.