The capital glows with star-studded corporate parties to rival Shanghai

Beijing's rough-edged charm has rarely proved a magnet for the international glitterati. But when US celebrity Paris Hilton visited the mainland last year, she chose glitzy Shanghai, not the nation's Gobi-dusted, smog-ridden capital.

But the Olympics have worked their magic, and Beijing is basking in the glow of also hosting the top names in show business.

Having shelled out millions of dollars to pull in celebrities, sponsors and other party organisers are trying to convince the world Beijing can party with the best of them.

Adidas, the official sportswear sponsor of the Beijing Games, kicked off the Olympics party season with a 'Golden Night' banquet on the eve of the Games that netted a string of famous Olympians, models and actors.

Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe and sprinters Donovan Bailey and Maurice Greene sipped free-flowing champagne with film star Jet Li at the lavish bash, which featured kung fu fighters, acrobatic wrestlers in skin-tight golden Lycra and a revolving floor with still-life models in Greco-Roman costumes painted gold. More than 400 guests attended the six-course banquet, with hundreds more joining the party afterwards, to see a performance by veteran mainland band Tang Dynasty and local, DJ Wordy.

Budweiser - one of the three official beer sponsors with Tsingtao and Yanjing - has taken over the National Agricultural Exhibition Hall with 'Club Bud', a popular apres-ski venue at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Parties are being hosted on alternate days throughout the Games for at least 2,000 people each time. The opening party in the 3,700 square metre space - which features a nightclub, lounge bar and outdoor pool bar - was held in conjunction with MTV China and attended by former Friends star David Schwimmer and Hollywood actor Chris Tucker.