• Reuters, Tuesday, August 1, 2006 12 PM

"Grooming tips and advice on gentlemanly behavior are being served up on television to millions of Chinese youngsters by the National Basketball Association as the sport extends its grip on the world's most populous nation," Reuters reports. The NBA is very popular in China, given the success of Houston Rockets center Yao Ming. Even in remote provinces, Chinese fans watch NBA action on the tube. Now the league hopes to build on that appeal with a weekly lifestyle show that goes behind the scenes of the game. "NBA Zhizao," or "Made in NBA", features leading players visiting the Great Wall, cheerleaders shopping in China's cities, and local celebrities talking about their favorite teams. "The Chinese are quite interested in NBA people coming to China, what they think of China, what they think of the people here, what do they think of Chinese food," says Mark Fischer, managing director of NBA China.

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