MASKED BALL ON THE WATERS OF LONG TAN LAKE

A grandiose fireworks display is reflected on the waters of Long Tan Lake. Venetian gondolas slowly advance on the lake, steered by real gondoliers who have specially come from Venice for the event! 

Chinese and Western personalities open the... masked ball. 

The Chinese guests are surprised and get caught up in the game of anonymity. Under the black capes and masks, one feels more free.   

Masked, Chinese and Westerners alike share this first moment of cultural exchange with great excitement. It must be said that attending a Venetian masked ball in the middle of Beijing is quite unusual. Almost unimaginable, certainly historic.  

So, it becomes a game to guess who might be hiding behind one of these masks. Could it be Mr. Huang Hua, the Vice President of the People's Assembly of China? Baron Philippe de Rothschild? Or perhaps Princess Furstenberg?