Special Report: FOCAC Beijing Summit

    BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Traditional Chinese red lanterns and billboards featuring typical images of Africa. Posters proclaiming Sino-African "friendship, cooperation, development and peace" in English and French on major streets in downtown Beijing.

    China's capital has been dressed up in the run-up to a historic summit with leaders from more than 40 African countries slated for Nov. 4-5.

    On the sideline of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Chinese government is also cranking up a campaign to promote African culture among citizens.

    Two exhibitions opened here Thursday, one of coins and stamps from 48 African countries and the other of African handicraft, to showcase African landscapes, places of historical interest and relations with China.

    "It's a good opportunity for ordinary Chinese to have a glimpse of Africa," said Cheng Hui, an avid collector who provided some of the handicraft pieces on show. "Many Africans are born to be artists. Even items from 2,000 years ago still make vogue artwork today."

    Johnson Weru from Kenya said the exhibition makes him feel at home and will help enhance friendship and understanding between the Africans and the Chinese.

    Weeks ahead of the gathering, bulletins with customs and taboos of the remote continent were set up at parks and in communities to inform the people of the dos and don'ts when meeting African friends.

    Local televisions, radios, newspapers and websites opened up special columns to discuss African culture and etiquettes, hoping Beijing would impress the African friends with good manners and hospitality during the high-profile international gathering.

    The Beijing Evening News, one of the most popular metropolitan newspapers, has been publishing one story a day of African students and business people in China in recent weeks.

    Which interested many Beijingers.

    A bar keeper said he is staging African singing and dancing at his theme restaurant in the diplomatic area in eastern Beijing.

    "African food, beverage and handicraft are also on show there," said Lu Chunming, manager of Pilipili, an African theme bar and restaurant. "I hope other bars and restaurants will also play some African music and put up some African style decorations."

    To make the African friends feel at home, hotels have offered round-the-clock housekeeping services, provided by housekeepers trained to greet the guests in English, French and some African tongues that are rarely spoken in China. Pillowcases and slippers are embroidered with the guests' names.

    A city of 15 million, Beijing started a six-day ban on at least 490,000 government vehicles Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, at least 250,000 private drivers heeded the government's call, aimed at preventing African delegates from being congested in traffic.

    Members of 380 motor clubs in Beijing have pledged to stay off the road or minimize their driving during the summit.

    "I have to leave home an hour and a half in advance," said private driver Han Bing, who now has to change four buses on her way to work. "It's OK with me. We don't have such a grand gathering every year."