The attention-grabbing intentional homicide trial of Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun opened on Thursday in East China's Anhui province.

All seats in the courtroom of the Hefei City Intermediate People's Court in Anhui were occupied when the trial began.

More than 140 people attended the trial, including relatives and friends of the two defendants, relatives and friends of British victim Neil Heywood, diplomats from the British embassy and consulates in China, media representatives, deputies to China's legislature and members of China's political advisory body, as well as members of the general public.