Well received in Israel

Israeli President Shimon Peres (L) addresses the opening of "Experience China in Israel" cultural event in Tel Aviv Opera House, on Oct. 17, 2009, with the presence of Wang Chen (2nd R), Minister of the State Council Information Office of China.

The following vivid examples serve to demonstrate the event's popularity among Israelis.

The 86-year-old Israeli President Shimon Peres, who initially planned to watch the first part of the "My Dream" performance staged in Tel Aviv Opera House by China Disabled People's Art Troupe, followed it through instead and lauded the performance as "the most unbelievable beauty in the world."

The repertoire dance "Thousand-hand Bodhisattva" performed by 21 disabled Chinese relying on the assistance of two sign language conductors symbolized the spirit of the Chinese people and the power of unity, said the Israeli leader after the performance, adding that one thousand hands can work like one and produce joint strength, which is the power of solidarity.

For Gili Tor, a third-year student at Reidmon College in Tel Aviv, the China-themed picture exhibition entitled "A Close Look at China," which is held at a venerable museum in the Old Yafo area in Israel's Tel Aviv-Yafo metropolis, is particularly attractive.

On display are hundreds of pictures offering a panorama of China's unprecedented strides from an impoverished and backward country toward a prosperous and modern one, with their contents relating to agriculture, industry, education, medical care and many other sectors.

"I am fascinated by the Chinese culture and has always been interested in the country and its people," said Tor who has never been to China, adding that the exhibition did give him a close look at the East Asian country.