Pop singer Mugur Ciubancan, who performs in Romanian and Chinese, enjoys wine after a short embassy show. Mike Peters / China Daily

Ion Dicu, Romania's charge d'affaires, hosted a reception for "Successful Romanian People in the People's Republic of China," including a singing performance by Mugur Ciubancan. Ciubancan has become a pop sensation on Weibo after winning a singing contest in the capital a decade ago. He has lived in Beijing ever since, singing in both Mandarin and Romanian at many events.

The event concluded with a wine tasting hosted by Jean Valvis, the Romanian investor and wine producer behind the label Samuresti. The wines are not available in China's retail stores, but Valvis hopes to change that in early 2012.

The event is part of a flurry of Romanian winemaker visits to Beijing: Domeniile Vinju Mare hosted another tasting at the embassy later in the week.

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Professor Fang Hai recently assumed the post of the rector of Guangdong University of Technology, School of Art and Design, the embassy of Finland announced. Fang completed his doctorate dissertation in the Helsinki University of Art and Design in 2004 and he has studied and worked several years in Finland. During the next few years several Finnish designers, including Hannu Kahoenen and Vesa Honkonen, will be visiting Guangzhou and the Guangdong University of Technology, the embassy said.

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Australia's Ambassador to China Frances Adamson opened a two-month gallery exhibition in Beijing on Saturday for Catherine Nelson. The Australian-born artist, trained as a painter in Sydney and London, Nelson now paints digitally to create visual effects for television and feature films including Moulin Rouge and Harry Potter. The exhibition at Galerie Paris-Beijing continues until Jan 20.

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Maria Larsson, Swedish minister for children and elderly, wrapped up her four days in China last week with a Friday stop in Shanghai to open a seminar on Swedish elderly-care solutions. She also launched a Permobil factory and visited a home-help service center.

Earlier in Beijing, Larsson met her minister colleague Chen Zhu at the Ministry of Health and with China's Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo, who is in charge of elderly care in China.

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US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer visited Shanghai last week to lead a roundtable discussion with female NGO and business leaders. She also visited the Xintu Center for Community Health Promotion and toured several of the Center's workshops that assist migrant women. Later, Verveer joined a press roundtable with local journalists, discussing the connections between empowering women and boosting economic growth around the world.

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Denmark's famous Sankt Annae Youth Choir finished its six-concert tour this month with a Nov 10 cultural event at Shanghai's Tongji University. Danish Consul General Susanne Hyldelund emphasized the importance of strengthening cultural relations between Denmark and China. The choir was founded in 1972; with more than 200 singers, it is one of the largest choirs in Europe and frequently performs on national radio and television in Denmark as well as abroad.

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The UK's minister of state for the foreign and commonwealth office, Jeremy Browne, ended his four-city swing through China with a visit to Shanghai, where met officials to discuss the legacy of the 2010 Expo and how the UK can apply Shanghai's experience at next year's Olympic Games to enhance its image overseas. Browne also made a speech at Fudan University on the rule of law and use of evidence, part of a seminar on legal reform.

Send embassy news to mike.peters.cd@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 11/27/2011 page5)