"Impression Lijiang", a taste of ethnic minorities

Locals perform during the test show of "Impression Lijiang" at the foot of the Jade Dragon Mountain in Lijiang, an ancient town in southwest China's Yunnan Province, May 10, 2006. Directed by the world famous director Zhang Yimou, and performed by more than 400 locals of the 10 ethnic groups, the show entitled "Impression Lijiang" aims to provide an insight into the lives of the region's ethnic groups through song and dance. After test performance, "Impression Lijiang" is set to debut at the end of July.

Cool summer for animals

A chimp sips cooling beverage in an air-conditioned room at a wild animal park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province on May 10. As temperatures soar, zoo keepers endeavour to keep the animals cool. (newsphoto)

World's largest floating dock starts operation in NE China

A 300,000-ton floating dock, the largest of its kind in the world, went into production on Wednesday in northeast China's coastal city of Dalian. Developed and built by the COSCO Shipyard Group Co., Ltd, the dock, which is 340 meters long, 76 meters wide and 27 meters deep, is capable of repairing 300,000-ton crude oil carriers, bulk freighters, and container ships, and rebuilding or converting other large watercraft.

Police on the run to rescue the burglar

Security staff pull a man out of a sewage pipe on Tuesday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province. The man hid in the pipe after he was caught stealing, but he almost suffocated before he was rescued.

New Delhi baked in heat wave

An Indian vendor wearing a miniature umbrella waits for tourists in the sun next to the India Gate in New Delhi, India on May 10, 2006. The temperature rised to over 40 degrees centigrade on Wednesday.

Smart card on the first day

A bus rider uses her smart card to enter Bus NO.300 yesterday, when an automatic fare collection system was introduced. Beijing has scrapped the decades-old paper monthly passes for public transport and is replacing them with palm-sized "smart" cards. There was some chaos as commuters tried to adapt to the change.

Fight against drought in Ningxia

Local villagers of Baiquanzi village water the land, which was left unused for 2 years because of the consecutive drought, in Zhongning County, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on May 9, 2006. Most areas in the middle part of this region have had no effective rain for more than 600 days. Effective actions have been carried out by local government and farmers to enhance the irrigation work in the struggles against the severe drought.

Temple fair in Suzhou attracts numerous visitors

Cartoon figures of the Eight Immortals from the myths and legends of China attract many residents at a local temple fair in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 10, 2006. The 3-day temple fair featuring fashion shows and folk performances has attracted many residents and tourists.

Beijing bids farewell to centenary railway station

People take photo for the Beijing Southern Railway Station as a keepsake on May 10, 2006. This centenary railway station closes as of the day as work begins to turn it into a terminus serving high-speed trains, with a budget of 6.3 billion yuan (787.5 million U.S. dollars) in the reconstruction project that is due to be completed in 2007. The station will cover an area of 226,000 square meters. It will have 13 platforms and 24 rails, and function as the starting station of the inner-city line between Beijing and Tianjin and the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway.

UNSC ministerial meeting on Darfur

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (front L) talks with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the UN Security Council ministerial meeting at the UN headquarters in New York May 9, 2006. The UN Security Council held a ministerial meeting on Tuesday to discuss the peace prospects of conflict-battered Darfur, west Sudan, at the UN headquarters in New York. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol attended the meeting.