OLYMPIC champion Liu Xuan, 34, sparkled at her wedding banquet Saturday at Hong Kong’s Happy Valley.

    Having registered with her boyfriend of 12 years, Wang Tao, in the United States earlier in 2012, Liu wore a dragon-adorned cheongsam and shared the joy with her friends in both show biz and business circles. Celebrities including gymnast Li Ning, Hong Kong TV star Bosco Wong, Kenneth Ma and Fala Chen were invited to attend the two-day-long celebration. He Jiong, a renowned mainland TV host who was believed to be her matchmaker, presided over the ceremony.

    “I am a bit nervous since the countdown draws near,” the star said on her Weibo.

    “Love encouraged me to be a better man. And it is you who make me discover the truth of love,” replied Wang under Liu’s message.

    Soon after her retirement from the national women’s gymnastics team in 2001, Liu entered show biz and filmed several teleplays. She also hosted various TV shows and released two albums in the subsequent years. Liu’s husband Wang, 35, a clarinet player, is currently a lecturer at the Central Conservatory of Music. The couple will hold another wedding banquet Wednesday in Beijing.

    (Tan Yifan)