Young mainland stars display talents on eve of Beijing's historic Olympics victory

They may be China's most promising athletes but arrogant they certainly are not. Friendly and approachable, the 19 medallists took centre stage recently at a gymnastics show and charmed the audience with not only their impressive physique but also their sense of humour.

The young gymnasts were in Hong Kong to perform just before the announcement of the 2008 Olympic bid, won by Beijing.

Their show at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium kicked off with a variety of demonstrations including parallel and uneven bars and pommel horse.

Bright stars Li Xiaopeng, Yang Wei, and Ling Jie stole the limelight with their medal-winning skills.

Bai Chunyue, 8, the youngest gymnast in the team who is billed as a potential medal winner in the 2008 Olympic Games, displayed her talent when she leaped skilfully on the balance beam.

When Huang Xu fell down from the pommel horse during the show, everyone's heart missed a beat though the gymnast continued before a supportive audience.