Chinese senior official Luo Gan Thursday evening joined local officials and people here in attending a soiree to mark the 50th founding anniversary of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The performance, including vivid songs and dance items with special local flavors and ethnic characteristics, showed the unity of people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang and the great achievements scored by the region under the leadership of the central government.

Luo, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, conversed with some retired officials who had worked in the region before the soiree began.

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2005)