About 20 Russian journalists from 12 mass media will travel to China later this week to explore the new image of Chinese cities and rural area, as well as visit well-know cultural and natural icons such as Shaolin Temple and panda.

The "China-Russia Friendship: China Tour" program will be kicked off at the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing in May 25 and these journalists will take off-road vehicles to travel across15 Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

They will visit the Terracotta Horses and Armored Warriors of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty in ancient Chinese capital Xi'an, the gym and stadium for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and interview prestigious cultural figures and senior officials, said Ding Xiaoming, director of the Moscow-based press center for the "China Year" in Russia.

By taking part in the event, Russian reporters will help domestic audience to accumulate better learning and understanding of China, Itar-Tass news agency general director Vidalij Ignatenko told a press conference here on Monday.

The China Radio International is also organizing the activity.

Forty Chinese and Russian journalists carried out a similar event last year, taking a 16,000-kilometer road trip from Tian'anmen Square to the Red Square in about 45 days.

An important part of the reciprocal theme years in Russia and China, the press mission is the first of its kind in bilateral relations.

(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2007)