Nearly 1,000 construction workers from around the country are busy working here on exhibition halls at the former residence of Deng Xiaoping, architect of China's policies of reforms and opening up to the outside world.

It has yet to be announced when the exhibition halls will be open to the public, but the preparation will be completed by the end of this month. The opening is likely to be around Aug. 22, the centenary anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's birth.

Yu Minjing, curator of the Deng Xiaoping Memorial Hall, told reporters that senior technicians from the National Museum, the Party Literature Research Center of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and a decorating company began the designing and arrangement in February of this year.

Experts and workers often worked until midnight during May, said Yu, who used to work for the National Museum.

A manager of the decorating company said workers had completed all decorating work by May 20 and they are busy installing about 200 display cabinets and panels in three exhibition halls.

Already put in place are book cabinets used by Deng and a black Red-Flag car Deng used to inspect armed forces on Tiananmen Square.

Engineers are installing and fine-tuning a film projector at a move hall, which has 140 seats and wide screens which is 17.6 meters in length and 4.6 meters in width.

A number of events have been planned or launched in China to mark the birth anniversary of the late leader.

In early May, a book entitled "History of Deng Xiaoping Theory" was published in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

The book, in four volumes with 1.3 million Chinese characters, describes the development of Deng Xiaoping Theory as in four stages, and covers the fields of the economy, politics, culture, national defense, diplomacy and Party building.

Last month, China also published a collection of stamps and other historic files on the military life of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997).

On May 19, a golden book titled "Great Man Deng Xiaoping" made its debut at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. It was published by the Central Literature Publishing House to mark the birthday.

A 4-movement symphony has been composed to commemorate the anniversary. The symphony, entitled "Son of the People", is composed by Bao Yuankai, a professor with the Musical Composition of Tianjin Conservatory of Music. The entire symphony lasts 55 minutes.

Deng Xiaoping, a native of Guang'an County of Sichuan Province born on Aug. 22, 1904, masterminded China's reform and opening-up drive which was introduced nationwide in 1978 and helped lead China out of economic doldrums.

He served as chairman of the Central Military Committee (CMC) of China. Deng passed away because of illness in Beijing on Feb. 19, 1997, at the age of 93.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2004)