Seven girls dressed in brisk color give radish as free presents to a huge crowd of people. They are newly-elected radish image representatives for the Qingdao radish party, which opened on Monday, February 26, 2007.

150 thousand residents of Qingdao city, in east China's Shandong Province, gathered at the local Children's Park on Monday to purchase radish.

The local Peninsula Metropolitan News reports about eight tons of radishes being sold on Monday, the opening day of a three-day radish fair, which also includes radish imported from South Korea.

Jiang Chengfu, a trader in radish from Weifang, another city in Shandong, excitedly told the newspaper that his family might be able to earn over 10,000 yuan during the three days.

The local radish party is an annual tradition that dates back some 600 years to the Ming dynasty. This year's party displays a number of modern features, such as the recent election of seven girls to represent the sale of radish.

A radish sculpture contest is another eye-catcher in the party. More than 50 masters in making vegetable sculptures have won acclaim for their vivid radish sculptures, including the ambitious Thousands of Horses Are Galloping.

Aside from the core business of radish, the party is also a trading opportunity, gathering over 100 vendors selling commodities typifying folk customs varying from calligraphy to pickling.

(CRI.cn February 28, 2007)