China House, a place to host friends from all over the world and to display China-related activities, will be set up in London during the 2012 London Olympics.

Yang Shu'an, executive vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, announced the establishment of the China House at the British embassy in Beijing on July 11.

"As you may know, the word? House in Chinese character?can also be literally translated as home. In Chinese culture, home is a word that has a very big and rich meaning," Yang said. "China House will be the home for Chinese delegations, officials, friends and related institutions in London during the summer Olympics. It will be an ideal place to host and entertain friends and relatives."

The China House will be open from July 25 to Aug 12. There will be an exhibition area showing the history of China's Olympics development. There will also be an exhibition about the history and development of Sino-British diplomatic relations, as this year marks the 40th anniversary since China and Britain established diplomatic relations.

"London is following the fantastic, good example of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. So it is really an exciting partnership between China and the UK," said Sebastian Wood, UK ambassador to China.

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