Some 1500 French and Chinese on Saturday evening applauded a "Finery and Dance" show presented by a Shanghai dancing troupe at the Theater of Champs-Elysees in downtown Paris.
The one-hour-and-a-half show combined costumes and ornaments with dance to depict the life of various national minorities in various dynasties in China.
Chen Liangyu, Mayor of Shanghai, who arrived here on Friday to present Shanghai's bid to host the 2010 World Exposition, watched the show.
"Paris and Shanghai have always been closely linked in culture. With the economic growth in Shanghai, I wish the exchange between our two cultures will grow more fruitful," Chen told the opening of the show.
"I hope the finery and dance show will help bring Chinese art and culture to an international audience and therefore contribute to Shanghai's candidature for the World Expo 2010," he added.
Chairman of the Paris-based Bureau of International Exposition (BIE) Gilles Noghes and Chinese Ambassador to France Wu Jianmin also watched the show.
A rehearsal previously planned for Friday evening was finally rescheduled to open to the public because too large an audience demanded to attend Saturday's "formal show".
The mayor of Shanghai and his delegation are to present the document of Shanghai Expo 2010 to BIE's 131st general assembly on July 2.
On the same day, Moscow, Mexico City, Poland's Wroclow and South Korea's Yeoso will also present their plans for the world event to the Bureau.
(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2002)
