<P align=center><EM><BR></EM><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: ËÎÌå; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><EM>A 16-meter-tall and 10-meter-wide thangka -- a large piece of silk embroidery -- of the Past Buddha<BR><BR><BR></EM><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: ËÎÌå; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><EM>A thangka of the Past Buddha<BR><BR><BR><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: ËÎÌå; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">A viewer</SPAN></EM></SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US>Xinhua, August 10, 2006</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><SPAN lang=EN-US>Xi'an</SPAN></st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-US>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region> -- At the Guangren Temple in <st1:City w:st="on">Xi'an</st1:City>, capital city of northwest <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>'s <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Shaanxi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Province</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, a month-long thangka exhibition was opened at the temple on Aug. 8. Thangka, a kind of art form of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s Tibetan ethnic group, has a history of more than 1,000 years. <SPAN lang=EN-US>(Xinhua Photo, taken on Aug. 9, 2006)</SPAN></P>
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