Pace Wu Pei-Ci, a Taiwanese actress and model, will replace supermodel Lin Chiling as co-host of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival Gala produced by Beijing-based China Central Television (CCTV).

A report in the Beijing News said Lin could not co-host the show because of her busy schedule and that Wu's agency confirmed that she would replace Lin. CCTV has not confirmed the news.

Guo Jihong, the gala's director, said at a press conference in late August that CCTV selected Lin as co-host, mainly because of her eye-catching performance in the latest film blockbuster "Red Cliff," which has posted record box-office earnings.

This is not the first time that Lin has had to bow out of the gala. In early 2006, she was picked as a potential co-host for the state television broadcaster's gala in the coastal city of Xiamen. But she had to decline for the same reason.

(CRI September 8, 2008)