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The sacred flame for the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade was ignited Monday morning in a ceremony held at the Tsinghua University, one of the country’s premiere institutions of higher learning. Wang Rong, vice-president of the Shenzhen Universiade organizing committee, welcomed the the Universiade flame and said that this represents an important moment in Shenzhen’s history, as it is the first time that a large-scale international games are being held in Shenzhen.

The flame will burn during the August 12-23 Universiade, following a torch relay which will start in another famous university in the capital of China, Beijing University, on 4 May which is Chinese Youth Day. Find out more in the CNTV news story Shenzhen Universiade flame lit at Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua University, where the Shenzhen Universiade was lit, is currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding. The university is one of China’s foremost higher learning institutions, and is experiencing reform and progress as it aspires to become one of the highest ranked universities in the world. Find out more in the CNTV news story Tsinghua University marks 100th anniversary.

Some seven hundred years ago, Christian merchant and traveler Marco Polo, who introduced Europeans to Central Asia, visited Yangzhou of East China’s Jiangsu Province. To commemorate this special envoy, a memorial hall in the name of Marco Polo has opened to the public. Find out more in the CNTV Culture Express Story Memorial hall remembering Marco Polo open to public in Yangzhou.

Chinese experts started a restoration project to save a rock carving statue in Southwest China on World Heritage Day, reports CNTV in the news story Restoration of ancient Buddha statue starts. After three years of experiments, a special fibre has been chosen as the perfect element to reconnect the fallen hands of the 1,000 armed Goddess of Mercy Bodhasattva, one of the 4,600 rock carving statues in Dazu county near Chongqing Municipality.

The Xi’an Horticultural Expo opens on 28 April and concludes on 22 October 2011. A large number of cities and organisations from China and abroad will participate in this major event which is expected to attract 12 million visitors. The expo’s theme is “Eternal peace & harmony between nature & mankind, nurturing the future earth – a city for nature, co-existing in peace”.

The expo is located on Guangyun Lake and covers a total area of 418 hectares, and is based on a pattern of “two circles, two axes, and five groups”. “Five groups” includes Chang’an Park, Creativity Park, Five-Continent Park, Sci-tech Park and Experience Park. The main buildings include Chang’an Tower, Greenhouse, Theme Pavilion and the Guangyun Entrance. The Five Major Horticultural Scenic Spots are the Chang’an Flower Valley, Colorful Plants from Qinling Mountains, Flowers along the Silk Road, Overseas Collections and Flower Rainbow over the Ba River. The Three Characteristic Zones refers to Romance by the Ba River, Southeast Asian Street and European Avenue.

Li Hao reports in the Shenzhen Daily that a total of 118 countries, regions confirm Universiade participation. From 12 to 23 August 2011 Shenzhen will host the 26th Universiade games, a major international sporting and cultural event.