With help from Jean Couture of Laval University, China has embarked on a countrywide anti-smoking campaign. Couture previously established a cancer-control network in the northeastern province of Jilin, and also started an oncology unit in Changchun in partnership with the Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences.

A 1,400-square-metre garden in Kunming, Yunnan province, showcases Canada’s horticulture. It was erected in 1999 for the World Horticulture Expo, an event with a history of more than 150 years. The garden features maple trees, pavilions and sculptures with an environmental theme.

Project Seahorse, headed by Amanda Vincent of British Columbia’s Fisheries Centre, is trying to save this endangered species by working with agencies in Hong Kong to reduce the use of seahorses in traditional Chinese medicines and with fishing fleets in Southeast Asia that are overfishing the creatures for the aquarium trade.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet brought its Prairie zing to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on its most recent trip to China. It was the one of several visits to China for a troupe that has performed in 564 cities in 44 countries over the years. Next stop: the American Midwest.

Three new IMAX theatres were built recently in China, including one at the Heilongjiang Science & Techologogy Museum in Harbin. Theatre-goers get the impact of a film technology invented for Expo 67 in Montréal, which revolutionized giant-screen cinema worldwide. There are 237 affiliated IMAX theatres in 34 countries.

Canadians in Beijing held a ball to raise money for charity groups in China in 2004. Highlighting Canada's participation in space exploration, the black-tie affair was a first. The guest of honour was astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason, the seventh Canadian in space.

China will host the 2005 International Biology Olympiad, which draws high school students from 50 countries, including Canada, to compete to determine who has the best skills tackling biology problems and experiments. First held in 1990, the games are scheduled for Argentina in 2006, and Saskatoon in 2007.

Powerbase Automation Systems Inc. of Carleton Place, Ont., is replacing coal-burning generators in five plants in China by using its small-hydro technology. Natural Resources Canada is helping to set up the five sites which are expected to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 30,000 tonnes per year.

Jack pine and white pine from Petawawa, Ont., have been successfully transplanted to Liaoning province in northeast China in an effort to increase forest cover in the region. After a 20-year research effort, selected seed has produced Canadian trees that exhibit superior growth, survival and value over the native Korean pine.