Events and stories coming up in the next few days

China to mark World Autism Awareness Day

World Autism Awareness Day is marked internationally on April 2 each year. This year's theme is "toward autonomy and self-determination".

An event to mark the day in China will be held on April 2 at the Museum of Chinese Women and Children in Beijing. Experts will talk about the achievements made in this regard in the country over the past decade and discuss how to take care of patients. There are an estimated 10 million people with autism in China. Love under the Blue Sky, an art exhibition focusing on paintings by children with autism, will also be held at the museum from April 2 to 5.

Large exhibition for bird lovers in Beijing

A charity exhibition showcasing illustrations of birds by French missionaries in China in the 19th century, will run from March 31 to April 13 at the Poly Art Museum in Beijing. The show, being jointly held by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation and Poly Culture Group, is part of the 36th Beijing Bird Loving Week, which starts on April 1, with the aim of enhancing people's awareness of biodiversity. The exhibition includes 746 pieces of illustrations and descriptions of 416 species, among which many are found in China today and some are extinct.

The illustration project was presided by Pierre Marie Heude, a missionary who came to China in 1868 and helped with the founding of a nature museum in Shanghai.

Taklamakan car rally begins on June 10

China Around Taklamakan (International) Rally 2017 will be held from June 10 to 22 in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region along a 5,000-kilometer route, as announced recently. Divided into four groups - cars, motorcycles, trucks and new fuel cars - the participants will start the race from Tacheng city. The event aims to boost Xinjiang's tourism and promote its picturesque views such as the desert.

Ghost in the Shell in China this weekend

Scarlett Johansson's film Ghost in the Shell will debut on Imax screens in Chinese theaters on April 7. The movie has been adapted from the popular Japanese manga series of the same title by Masamune Shirow. First published in 1989, the books have influenced many sci-fi productions such as The Matrix franchise. Johansson plays a cyborg anti-terrorist commander, who leads a team to fight criminals in a world set in 2027.