The burial of the late renowned Chinese comedian Gao Xiumin's bone ash and the unveiling ceremony of Gao's statue was held on Saturday in the Xiyuan cemetery of Changchun, capital city of northeastern China's Jilin Province.

The China News Service reports her relatives, friends, many entertainment celebrities and local citizens as attending the burial and the unveiling ceremony.

Gao Xiumin, one of the most popular comedians on television in China, died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 46 in her home in Changchun on August 18, 2005.

Her bone ash had been preserved at the Changchun Revolutionary Cemetery and later transferred to Xiyuan, along with the completion of Gao's statue – a statue that took reputed carver Wang Songyin one year to design.

The total cost, including Gao's statue, worth 380 thousand yuan and cemetery space, approaches 700 thousand yuan (US$100,000) .

Her death was considered a great loss for the bourgeoning entertainment and television show business in the country.

Yan xuejing, one of Gao Xiumin's friends in entertainment circle, hosts the unveiling ceremony of Gao's statue in the Xiyuan cemetery of Changchun, capital city of northeastern China's Jilin Province, on Saturday, August 18, 2007.

Many local citizens attend the ceremony in memory of Gao Xiumin in the Xiyuan cemetery of Changchun, capital city of northeastern China's Jilin Province, on Saturday, August 18, 2007.

Veteran actor Lei Kesheng, who unveiled Gao Xiumin's statue in person, fixes his eyes on the statue for a long time at the ceremony in the Xiyuan cemetery of Changchun, capital city of northeastern China's Jilin Province, on Saturday, August 18, 2007.

(CRI.cn August 19, 2007)