IT may be thousands of miles away but Southampton residents will be able to get an insight into life in their Chinese "sister city" this week.

A unique exhibition will be held to mark the first visit to Southampton of the mayor of Qingdao, Mr Xia Geng who arrives here tomorrow.

The exhibtion will celebrate the relationship between the two cities after they agreed special sister city status almost a decade ago.

"This is a historic visit and I wholeheartedly welcome Mayor Xia," said Southampton's Mayor John Slade. He will be hosting the visit.

"Mayor Xia is in charge of a city which would dwarf many small countries in terms of population and economy, and his excitement at visiting Southampton for the first time shows the importance placed on the sister city relationship."

Qingdao, pictured, is an important economic centre and coastal city in Eastern China covering an area of 10,654 square kilometres with a population of eight million.

The famous historical city is a renowned tourist resort and a key port for foreign trade, with its manufacturing industries including electronics, household appliances and the world famous Qingdao beer. It is also the host city for the Sailing Regatta of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The exhibition will be held in the former Littlewoods store, at the bottom of Above Bar Street near the Bargate, this Thursday. It last until Saturday.

It will highlight Qingdao's Olympic preparations, the city's coastal scene and include colourful performances of Chinese traditional and modern arts. Signatures will be collected from the citizens of Southampton to send their best wishes to the people of Qingdao for a successful Olympic Games. As well as visiting places such as the University of Southampton's Oceanography Centre with Qingdao hosting China's corresponding centre, Mayor Xia will travel to sailing venues at Gosport and the Isle of Wight as part of his Olympic preparations.

The Mayor, a keen opera fan will also be treated to a performance of Don Giovanni at the Mayflower Theatre.

The exhibition opening hours are: Thursday, 1pm-5pm; Friday, 10am-5pm and Saturday, 10am-12.30pm.