BOOK LAUNCH  
Matric and Dujiangyan Tourism Association present
Dujiangyan: in harmony with nature
By Kit Gillet and Heather Mowbray

Join us to celebrate the launch of the first comprehensive guidebook to the Sichuan city of Dujiangyan.

Dujiangyan
For the city slickers among us, finding a relaxing place to unwind in China can be quite difficult. Natural beauty spots and tranquil corners are vanishing fast - replaced by modern sprawling cities - leaving holidaymakers few options for a calm and relaxing break. Fortunately, Sichuan province still possesses several such places, including Dujiangyan, a small picturesque city surrounded by mountains.

Whether rock climbing, rafting and hiking are your passion, or you just feel like relaxing with an amazing array of delicious teas and foods, Dujiangyan will not disappoint. The 2,200-year-old irrigation system, mountainous birthplace of Daoism, and the beautiful canals and squares of the city seem to line every avenue and peak with history and culture.

Beijing Matric is dedicated to providing a platform for talented foreign authors in China, and is regularly expanding its destinations list and providing new opportunities for expatriate authors, as well as organising regular writers’ events to encourage new, in-depth writing on Chinese travel themes. Beijing Matric has published over ten book titles, including the cities of Dujiangyan, Nanjing, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Xiamen and the province of Sichuan.

Complimentary drinks and canapés available (including Sichuan delicacies)
Raffle including 5 free weekends to Dujiangyan
Free Entrance
Kung Fu Display
Daoism Tea Ceremony

Events
Date: Sunday, April 27, 2008
Time: 3-5pm
Place: Houhai 5 Hao, Houhai Beiyan No.5, 什刹海后海北沿5号   Map

Main Event:

       2.30pm     Registration, including welcome to embassy visitors
3.00pm     Address by the mayor of Dujiangyan
3.05pm     Remarks by the two authors Kit Gillet and Heather Mowbray and their reviewer
3.20pm     Mayor and authors unveil the book
3.25pm     Q&A session. Pose your questions about Dujiangyan.
3.45pm     Raffle
5 weekend trips to Dujiangyan, 2 bottles of kiwi wine---plus panda toys  
5 free copies of the book---plus panda toys                              
4.00pm   Displays:
Kung Fu, Daoism Tea ceremony
4.30pm     Book-signing
5.00pm     Close

               Food and drink served throughout

Contact Myra or Shyoki: bjmatric@gmail.com,  bjmatric@163.com

 Tel: 139 1152 4254
Location                                 Map

MAY  Plans are underway to hold a writer's event in the Jiangsu water town of Zhouzhuang in late June.

Similar to the May event held in Nanjing, a group of writers will be invited by local government to examine the beautiful city and escorted on a tour around Zhouzhuang's tourist venues. Participants should ideally be actively writing for foreign/English language media, or magazines/newspapers in other languages abroad.

Zhouzhuang is one of Jiangsu's most beautiful ancient Chinese cities based on water canals. Matric produced a volume on the city in the China through the Looking Glass series last year, written by American writer Jennifer Thorne.

MARCH 2007 – Matric's writer's event in Nanjing, timed to coincide with the International Plum Blossom Festival, was held in Nanjing early this month. On the invitation of the Nanjing Tourism Board, Matric escorted around 15 foreign writers resident in Beijing to attend the festival and take a guided tour through the city.

The writers, who were accommodated at Nanjing's first-class Xuanwu Hotel, were treated to a VIP tour through some of Nanjing's major tourist sites.

This was the first writer's event hosted by Matric, and will be followed by many more as Matric continues to promote closer ties between Chinese tourist offices and foreign writers.