Valencia, 3 April 2006 - The 'China Sails into the America's Cup'
promotional evening in Beijing was a roaring success on Saturday night. The
show at the Tian Qiao Theatre, produced by the organisers of the 32nd
America's Cup and Louis Vuitton, was attended by over 1,000 guests,
including celebrities, VIPs and diplomats."Since its very beginning over
150-years ago, the America's Cup has always been a stage for countries to
show off their technology," said Michel Bonnefous, CEO of the organising
body for the 32nd America's Cup, as he opened the show. "As China develops
as a world power, the America's Cup is a natural platform for it to
demonstrate its technological, project management and sporting prowess."
The show, organised by the local branch of MTV, will be broadcast
several times during the next few weeks on three of the national network
CCTV's channels to a potential audience of more than 350-million
households.
Among the artists performing over the course of an entertaining evening
were Zhong LiTi, Ling Zhi Xuan, Lu SiQing, Su YouPeng, Chen Kun, Hu Bing,
He RunDong, Xia Yu, Chen Hao, Sun Nan, Fang Bin Bin, Huang Ying, Sun Yue
and Fei Xiang. China's number one idol, NBA player Yao Ming, apperared in a
video supporting the participation of China Team in the 32nd America's Cup.
Prior to the gala on Saturday, the Louis Vuitton Cup, which is awarded
to the top challenger, and the America's Cup trophy spent some time
sightseeing around China taking in many of the most famous sites, including
the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
Racing begins this season with the Louis Vuitton Acts 10 and 11 from the
11th to 21st of May. China Team, along with 10 other challengers and the
Defender, Alinghi, will be racing in Valencia, the host city of the 32nd
America's Cup.