The Chinese Children's Song and Dance Festival will be held from August 16 to 23 in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, to promote Chinese traditional culture and children's performing arts, sources from the Chinese Ministry of Culture (MOC) said here Tuesday.

The festival's major sponsor is the Center of International Culture Exchange under the MOC.

The week-long festival has the theme "happiness, friendship and future". More than 100 performances will be given by 27 artistic troupes from 23 provinces and regions including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Well-known Chinese experts and scholars will be invited to select the best young performers and present them with three prizes - one for dancing, one for performing skills and one for organization.

( People's Daily August 6, 2002)