China calling

The fascination that China presents to most people is due to a variety of factors.

Perhaps it is the country's population reaching 1.3 billion, its extensive land mass, its intriguing culture and history and the galloping economic expansion that is taking place there.

Facets of all these factors come into play for visitors, particularly those from Europe who are often overwhelmed by the vistas that greet them, whether it's the hustle and bustle of downtown Beijing, the varied cuisine representing different provinces or the ingeniousness of their civil engineers as witnessed in the building of the Great Wall and the Dujiang Dam.

There is all of this, not to mention the artefacts unearthed by archaeologists throwing spotlights on a chequered past that open fresh pages of China's ancient history.

To shed some light on these facets, George Cini, night editor at The Times and John Zerafa, managing director of Freight Zone (Malta) Ltd will be giving a talk, illustrated by photographs and a video, about their experiences on a recent visit to China.

The talk will be held on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the China Cultural Centre in Melita Street, Valletta.

Mr Cini and Mr Zerafa formed part of a group coming from other China Cultural Centres in Paris, Egypt, Benin, South Korea and Mauritius, who spent two weeks in China last August on the China Cultural Centres' Award Tour.

The culture-oriented tour was made possible by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. The group visited Beijing, Chengdu and Xian.

The talk is open to the public but as seating is limited those interested in attending are asked to call 2122 5059 or drop an e-mail to maltaccc@gmail.com.