Search China Travel News:

China began on Apr.15 to search for the song that would officially open the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the China Daily reported recently.

The search for the right tune will last until 2007, with ten songs selected each year, until the organizing committee makes a final decision from the list of 50.

And it's not just open to professionals, with amateur musicians also invited to join the race, the paper reported.

"We want something extraordinary, emotional, popular and brimming with traditional Chinese culture," said Sun Weijia, deputy director of the Media and Communications Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the XXIX Olympiad.

Wu Yanze, a noted Chinese folk song singer and a member of the song search committee, said he is expecting songs that will match some of the most influential Chinese music pieces ever recorded.

The search in 2003 will end on August 31 and organizers will set up a judging panel to select the top 10.

The winning ten will be broadcast on Radio Beijing, the capital city's leading broadcaster.

Participants can log onto websites -- www.beijing-olympic.org.cn and FM974tom.com for details.