A golden book titled Great Man Deng Xiaoping made its debut at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.

The book was published by the Central Literature Publishing House recently to mark the 100th birthday, which falls on Aug. 22, of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who launched China's reform and opening-up drive in the late 1970s.

The 48-page book contains 39 precious pictures and eight inscriptions of Deng taken between 1920 and 1994. Some of the photos were published for the first time.

The paper of the book was made of gold with 99.9 percent purity, using nanometer technology. It can be preserved for about 10,000 years due to the distinctive features of golden paper such as high purity, anti-oxidation, anti-humidity and being not easily discolored.

A 99.9-percent-purity golden head portrait of Deng's was inlaid on the cover of the book.

Only 5,000 copies of the book, the first of its kind approved by the Party Literature Research Center of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, will be published home and abroad.

(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2004)