Forty and fabulous

She loomed from backstage without much fanfare. The audience hardly recognized her until a few seconds later when her image was projected onto the giant screen right above her where she made her entrance. But when she belted out her first note, it was distinctly Celine. The audience burst into thunderous applause. Such was the magic of Celine Dion.

The 15,000-seat Venetian Arena was packed with both expats and local Chinese, many taking their teenage children along. Macao was the first Chinese city of Dion's Taking Chances World Tour, which will take her further to Shanghai and Beijing coming April.

Celine Dion hits China as part of her world tour. File photos

The Canadian songstress, who turns 40 this Sunday, acknowledged her audience by greeting and showing appreciation in simple Mandarin.

At the end of the show, when she posed with reporters from Beijing, she wished Beijing "a successful Olympic Games".

This is a diva who does not act imperious. Her down-to-earth personality came through in the brief post-concert meeting. She shook hands with everyone and made small talk.

This after a grueling 1.5-hour show, during which she crooned, warbled and blasted out a total of 23 songs.