Red China, Red Fun
 

Artists dressed as Chinese ghost bride and bridegroom at the Hong Kong Ocean Park Sept 16, in preparation for the largest Halloween event to be held in Oct.

Chairman of the British Film Institute Anthony Minghella stands in front of a giant sculptural head entitled of Supense,in London Sept 16.

2 Japanese and Chinese weapons experts prepare to examine poison gas shells in a pit at Luquan in northern China's Hebei province Friday Sept. 12, 2003. Japanese and Chinese experts spent Friday dismantling some of a stockpile of 52 poison gas shells that were found in 1991. The shells are part of an estimated 700,000 artillery shells, bombs and other weapons loaded with chemical agents left in China after World War II.

3 Chinese entertainers perform during an underwear show at a shopping mall in Shenyang, the capital of China's northeastern province of Liaoning, September 14, 2003. Gone are the days when shopping for underwear was considered an embarrassing chore for Chinese women. Now, with bras and underpants in all cuts and colors displayed in shop windows, buying lingerie is considered fashionable in China.

4 Two breeders carry a baby panda named Lan Bao onto a wagon heading for its future residence of Lanzhou Zoo, at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Monday, Sept. 15, 2003. Weighing 23 kilograms, the baby panda Lan Bao, born on Aug. 23, 2002, is successfully bred by taking advantage of the propagation technology in the center as a local female panda Shu Lan got mated with a wild male panda Ha Lan captured by the Zoo of Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.

8 Frontier guards show their special skills during a military exercise in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province on Sept. 14. More than 200 officers and soldiers participated in the drill, demonstrating their comprehensive skills of shooting, hunting and arresting criminals.

9 Inventor Wang Zhenfu rides his mechanical horse at a toy exhibition in Beijing Monday, Sept. 15, 2003. The horse, which is powered by the rider's legs and swivels in the middle to turn like a horse, is being sold in China for 3,500 yuan (US$423). Wang, from coastal Qingdao city, was inspired by a story about famous former prime minister Zhu Geliang, of the Shu Kingdom (221-263 AD), who invented a wooden mechanical horse to transport crops.

1 German President Johannes Rau gestures during his speech at a luncheon reception hosted by Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa at Government House, September 16, 2003. Rau flew into Hong Kong on Monday following a state visit to the Chinese mainland .

China mobilizes to save lives from suicide
 

A man whose name is unknown climbs onto a 4-meter-high steel frame on Huan Shi Dong Lu, Guangzhou, in the afternoon of September 12, with an attempt to commit suicide. After four hours' persuasion by the police, the man was finally rescued. Figures from Guangzhou 120 First Aid Medical Headquarters showed that, during the period of 1:49 a.m. to 3:12 p.m., September 13, it received reports of even suicide cases.

Oxfam's G8 leaders!
 

Members of the British non-governmental organization Oxfam lampoon leaders of the G8 countries (L-R) Jean Chretien of Canada, Junichiro Koizumi of Japan, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Gerhard Schroeder of Germany, Tony Blair of Great Britain, Jacques Chirac of France and George Bush of the USA) during an event held on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization meeting in Cancun September 14.

Members of the British non-governmental organization Oxfam lampoon leaders of the G8 countries, from left to right, (Gerhard Schroeder of Germany, Jean Chretien of Canada, Jacques Chirac of France, Tony Blair of Great Britain, Junichiro Koizumi of Japan, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, and George Bush of the USA) during an event held on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization meeting in Cancun, September 14, 2003. Oxfam is trying to illustrate the G8's failure to listen to voices urging them to rewrite the rules of international trade. REUTERS

A young Uygur acrobat uses her mouth to balance herself on a pole as she spins rugs during a performance for tourists in Urumqi, the capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, September 11, 2003. The ancient city of Urumqi, which was on the Silk Road trade route¡£

A young Uygur acrobat performs for tourists in Urumqi, the capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, September 11, 2003. The ancient city of Urumqi, which was on the Silk Road trade route, is now a major financial and industrial centre in northwest China.

A folk dancer wears a traditional mask during a performance at a festival in Leh, 434 Kms (270 miles) northeast of Srinagar, summer capital of the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir September 12, 2003. The month of September is a predominantly cultural period in Leh when Buddhist artists and traditional folk dancers take part in performances that are based on their traditional heritage.

China is truly joining the ways of the West.

Chinese lingerie models. Thought I'd never see such a thing. At least not modeling undergarments that were colors other than olive drab in styles other than "sensible."

I'd be interested in knowing more about Halloween in China. I thought that was purely a Western holiday. What, if any, celebrations are held? Is it a Christian festival (the eve of all saints day) or is it a festival honoring the ancestors, as in pagan religions? (or is it an excuse to dress up in costumes and collect candy or have parties?)