'Thrilling Asian Games, Green Guangdong'

SHANGHAI - Guangdong province will kick off its week at Shanghai 2010 Expo on Wednesday, aiming to help tourists know more about the southern province, which is about to host the Asian Games in its capital, Guangzhou, in November.

Themed "Thrilling Asian Games, Green Guangdong", the celebration will last until August 1 and is mainly aimed at promoting the 2010 Asian Games.

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As part of the celebration, the official mascots of the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games - five sporty goats - will be on display along the popular shopping precinct of Nanjing Road starting Wednesday.

The mascots are named Le Yangyang, A Xiang, A He, A Ru and A Yi - each with their own character and style. Put together, their names make the Chinese phrase, xiang he ru yi le yangyang, which means "peace, harmony and great happiness, with everything going as you wish".

To entice more visitors to the province in November, the Guangdong Pavilion is giving away 10,000 free tickets to the Asian Games during the week.

The pavilion will also hold cultural performances, involving more than 1,200 artists.

"The presentation will show our cultural achievements and enable visitors to learn more about Guangdong folk customs," said Fang Jianhong, director of the department of culture in province.

Located in the China Joint Provincial Pavilion, the Guangdong Pavilion has attracted more than 2.2 million visitors since it opened on May 1.

The pavilion will be dismantled and moved back to the province after the Expo concludes.