China's top film gala, the 9th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, started Thursday evening at Tonggutai of Mount Qingxiu in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The evening consisted of four parts: ethnic singing and dancing, the opening ceremony, an entertainment performance, and a mass celebration.

Veteran directors as Xie Tieli, Wu Yigong and Xie Jin attended the ceremony. Many popular entertainers in the country also performed for the audience and TV viewers.

The award ceremony, the backbone of the film festival, is scheduled to be held on November 21. The winners of Golden Rooster awards will be announced in that evening. Awards winners of Hundred Flowers were announced last month.

According to sources, actor You Yong and actress Gong Li are hot favorites for best actor and actress awards, respectively. " Shengsi Jueze" (or "Choice Between Life and Death"), which features an anti-corruption drive in a southern city, is competing for the best movie award.

Established in 1962, Hundred Flowers Awards are voted by cinema- goers, while Golden Rooster Awards, initiated in 1981, are chosen by movie academic circles.

The country changed the award ceremonies of the two film awards into national film festivals in 1992.

(People's Daily 11/17/2000)