TAICHUNG, May 25  -- A Cross-Strait competition on traditional Chinese culture, held here Sunday, attracted competitors of all ages including seniors up to ninety and children at only three.

Before the competition began, a ritual was held to worship Confucius and the deputy leader of Taiwan Wu Den-yih read a classic Confucius essay called "the Great Together (or Li Yun Da Tong)."

The competition include 68 ancient classic Chinese items such as the Analects of Confucius and poems of Tang Dynasty. The competition this year also added exams on English subjects such as useful English expressions and Shakespeare' s sonnets, so as to attract overseas people.

The competition imitated ancient style of imperial Chinese examinations, and examinees who won the highest title experienced the traditional way of celebration, including wearing a hat, beating a gong and crossing a bridge.

Students from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan won good grades.

"I read classic Chinese books in my spare time," said 12-year-old Zhang Yan from Shangdong Province, who won the first place in the subject she competed in.

Learning filial piety traditions from these books, Zhang said she will take care of her mother when she is ill, and help her granny wash her feet.

The competition, the fifth of its kind, was jointly organized by Taiwan's association on traditional Chinese culture and relevant institutions of the mainland. It also attracted competitors from Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Singapore.

According to the organizer, besides Taichung, Jinan, Fuzhou, Xiamen as well as Hongkong and Macao also held similar activities synchronously, with a total of 50,000 people taking part in.