STORY: Lebanon's first Xiangqi championship held in Beirut
SHOOTING TIME: April 21, 2024
DATELINE: April 23, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:25
LOCATION: Beirut
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of participants
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HANI MIKATI, Participant
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ELIAS ABOU JAOUDE, Head of the Xiangqi Committee in Lebanon
4. various of participants

STORYLINE:

Lebanon's first annual tournament of Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, was held Sunday in the Jal El Dib area, north of the capital Beirut.

Some 70 players of all ages participated in the game.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HANI MIKATI, Participant
"We are here with the Chinese players, learning from their years of experience in the Chinese chess. And we are learning about the Chinese culture through the Chinese chess game, which is a very old and traditional game in China, and the insightful player is the one who wins at the end."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ELIAS ABOU JAOUDE, Head of the Xiangqi Committee in Lebanon
"Xiangqi, which is the Chinese chess, is one of the most important brain games. We have organized federation games in various Lebanese regions to introduce this game to enhance the concentration of the youth and adults as well. Through this game, the youth will enjoy more logic training and concentration, and will learn how to be patient and accept failure."

In recent years, Lebanese youth have exhibited a growing interest in the Chinese chess game.

The Xiangqi Committee in Lebanon expected to further promote the game to all the regions of the country and invite more Chinese players to help strengthen the competence of Xiangqi lovers in Lebanon.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beirut.
(XHTV)