Ahmad Alasfoor, a 25-year-old computer engineer, said that he has seen all the movies shown in the Chinese Film Week, which was held from February 16 to 22 in the Kuwait Culture Center.

"I used to watch Hong Kong action films on VCD," he said, adding that he was greatly impressed by these totally different Chinese movies over the past week.

"Some were very moving and encouraging, like Black Eyes, and some comedies, like Spicy Love Soup, were so humorous that I laughed from the beginning to the end," he said.

Yassen Al-Jassar, a 30-year-old woman who works in a government agency said "These films draw the outline of the colorful life of the modern Chinese citizens, and to tell you the truth, I am very surprised."

She said that she has seen some Chinese films that have won prizes on several international festivals, describing the lives of villagers in the old days.

"The movies were unbelievably sad and I was moved to tears when I saw them," she said.

However, she added that the films she saw in the past few days gave her a new image of the modern China, especially the life of the young generation.

"I love the documentaries which describe the beautiful land of China," said Mohamad Al-Mady, a post-graduated student in the Kuwait University majored in Finance.

"I was fascinated by the sceneries," he said, "I hope someday I can travel there to see it with my own eyes."

He also said that "after graduation I'd love to take advantage of my knowledge to invest in China."

Mohamad, who can speak some Chinese, said that the idea of investing in China struck him when he studied in the United States two years ago.

"In order to do a good business in the future, I studied Chinese for one year," he said.

Since then, he has fallen in love with the Chinese culture and wants to know more about it.

The Chinese films with Arabic subtitles shown these days gave him the chance to familiarize with modern China and the modern life of the Chinese people.

According to Cultural Attache in the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait Liu Deshan, it is the first time that Chinese films with Arabic subtitles were shown in Kuwait. Such activities will continue every year from now on, he said.

"Chinese movies offer a new opportunity for Kuwaitis to know more about China," Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Zeng Xuyong said at the opening ceremony of the Chinese Film Week last Saturday.

Except Kongfu, "China has more to show to the outside world, especially the colorful picture of the modern life of the Chinese people," he said.

"It is part of our efforts to strengthen culture exchanges between Kuwait and China," he added.

Liu also noted that bilateral ties in culture exchanges got a big boost during the past year, including some events such as Photo Exhibition on China and China Day aimed at enhancing the understanding between Kuwait and China.

In addition, Kuwait Culture Exhibition will be held in Beijing in April, Liu added.

( February 23, 2002)