A 40-m rough patch of concrete with not a hurdle¹ in sight is not quite Liu Xiang's stomping² ground.

But he didn't seem to mind - and his adoring audience lapped up every move.

Liu, the reigning³ 110-m hurdles⁴ world champion, yesterday held an impromptu⁵ demonstration⁶ of his discipline at Ping'an Hope Primary School in Beichuan, one of the regions devastated⁷ by last year's May 12 earthquake.

"I had only seen him on TV," gushed⁸ seven-year-old Liu Xi, a Grade 1 student.

"I'll do more exercises and try to be like him!"

Liu Xiang, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist who had to pull out of the race last year in Beijing due to injury, was making one of his rare public appearances to try and bring cheer to survivors⁹ of the Sichuan province. Today marks the first anniversary of the disaster.

Clad in a white T-shirt and jeans, the 25-year-old joined about 100 pupils for an athleti,四川地震cs class in a 4-m-wide passage between the school's prefabricated buildings.

Liu talked for 20 minutes about various techniques for running hurdles and demonstrated how to do it right.

"His visit is a big event. He's so nice and kind and he doesn't look like a celebrity¹⁰ at all," said Lin Xilan, a villager in the crowd.

"It is a memorable¹¹ experience for children, even for me, to have a lesson from a world champion," teacher Zheng Xiulan said.

"His presence will encourage our children to be happier and stronger."

A modest Liu said the time he spent in the school was too short and promised to return.

Movie icon¹² Jackie Chan was also in the same county, with students from the Beichuan Middle School, where more than 1,000 students and teachers died or are missing.

Chan, best-known for his martial¹³ arts skills, did not teach the students kungfu but sang a song dedicated¹⁴ to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the New China.

The Hong Kong star and mainland soprano Liu Yuanyuan are promoting "Nation", which is tipped to be theme song for this year's National Day celebrations.

The 55-year-old actor, along with 1,000 students, also unfurled a huge national flag - at 5,000 sq m, reputed to be the country's biggest - on the school playground.

In other parts of Sichuan, scores of other celebrities¹⁵, including singers and movie stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan, are also doing their bit to cheer up the local people.

They had a major performance in Mianzhu on Sunday, and on the same day, another kungfu star, Jet Li, led a walk in Yingxiu, the epicenter.

Questions:

1. How old is Liu Xiang, the 2004 Olympic gold medalist?

2. Who was Jackie Chan also visiting yesterday?

3. What was the name of the other celebrity who also visited the quake zone?

Answers:

1. 25.

2. Students from the Beichuan Middle School.

3. Jet Li.