The first group of exported chickens, numbering 80,000, passed strict health checks. They arrived in Hong Kong via Huanggang checkpoint in Shenzhen.

"We promised to sell only healthy chickens to Hong Kong," said an official of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation yesterday.

"All the results of sample blood tests were negative," the official added. About one-quarter of the chickens exported to Hong Kong took the blood test.

The chickens were sold for a price almost equal to last year's price. The official predicted that his province's chicken exports would soon increase because of the coming Chinese Lunar New Year on February.

Chicken is usually a major dish on Chinese dinner tables and restaurants during festivals, particularly Spring Festival.

Many Hong Kong and Guangdong residents use chickens to worship Buddha and their ancestors during festivals.

Hong Kong imposed a ban on chicken imports from the mainland last month when many local chickens, waterfowl and other birds were found dead in local farm market and parks.

Examinations of the dead chickens and waterfowl showed that the dead birds contained a kind of H5 virus.

Hong Kong's first case of bird flu was detected in late 1997. More than 300,000 chickens were slaughtered that year and 16 people were diagnosed as having H5N1 bird flu.

To prevent bird flu from spreading in Hong Kong this time, local administration decided to disinfect and clean its markets and chicken sales booths this week.

(China Daily January 3, 2003)