By INESA PLESKACHEUSKAYA

Aircraft carrier - Shenzhen's tour hot spot.

Ask any of the seven million people living in Shenzhen what Minsk is, and they will answer promptly: "It is a Russian military ship, an excellent attraction. " When I ask this question, two more naturally follow: why does this ship have such a name and what does Minsk mean? These questions are not that easy to answer. The word vessel makes sense, but why Minsk? People don't understand and ask me, "Does it matter?"

For me it does make a difference. I came to China from Minsk. Not from the military vessel of course but from the real Minsk, capital of Belarus, after which the ship was named, and known as city of heroes in the Soviet era. Isn't it a pity that people visiting this popular tourist attraction in Shenzhen know virtually nothing about my city or my country? And this is despite motifs of Minsk the city and Belarus appearing everywhere onboard the vessel! One can even buy my country's banknotes for RMB25. They are popular souvenirs for Chinese tourists despite no longer being valid currency, as are lighters, pens, and key rings bearing the name Minsk in Cyrillic script, and Soviet symbols.

Soviet material on exhibit.

The Minsk is a Soviet aircraft carrier-cruiser of the second generation. It was built between 1972 and 1978 as part of the USSR Navy Pacific Fleet. The USA and its No 7 Fleet regarded the Minsk, its main adversary in the Pacific during the 'cold war,' with respect and caution.

On the collapse of the Soviet Union and dismantling of weapons the cruiser was put into dry dock. Shortly afterwards a Chinese company bought and reconstructed this Soviet military vessel, and it is now one of the main tourist attractions in China's youngest and most affluent city, Shenzhen. On being asked how he resolved the problem of the city's lack of attractions Shi Xiongbiao, director of the Shenzhen Tourism Administration, answered: "When we lack tourist attractions, we either build or buy them," and gave the Minsk as an example.

Soviet Mig Fighter plane.

To attract tourists, organizers decided to exhibit a military ship as it would be in actual wartime conditions. The atmosphere of that time is carefully recreated. The world's two longest torpedoes, around 5 meters long and made in the USSR, are on display, and inscriptions in Russian are everywhere, accompanied by Chinese translations. On the walls are photos of life on the Minsk at the time of its actual military service: sailors operating torpedoes, laughing, doing exercises, eating dinner . A friend who now lives in Minsk was once in the crew of this vessel. When he knew I was going to visit the cruiser he asked me to send his best regards to the ship. This I did with joy and pleasure, as it is part of the history of my two native countries -- the Soviet Union where I was born and Belarus where I live.

But let's go back to the Minsk World. The take-off and landing runways are on the vast upper deck that has the surface area of three combined football fields. Today it is the main exhibition area for military equipment. On the forward deck are four installations for ship-ship missile launches that are capable of launching eight long-range anti-ship missiles simultaneously.

Visitors can also see the famous Soviet MiG-23 aircraft-fighter, two Mi-24 military helicopters and Chinese military aircraft. When the Minsk was an active military vessel this deck would hold 42 aircraft simultaneously.

A nautically clad tour guide.

The ship-air guided missiles are on the second deck. Automatic installations launched these missiles working on the principle: open a lid-aunch a missile. The Russian Army still uses missiles of this type. The Russian inscription: Danger to Life is still in place on the lid.

The sailors' and captain's cabins have been restored. Frankly, the captain's cabin left me with mixed feelings, and I am not alone in this respect as practically all people of the former Soviet Union feel the same. The wax model of the captain in white uniform, holding a wine glass and surrounded by matreshkas (sets of hollow decorated wooden doll figures of differing sizes, each one made so as to nest inside the next largest) and portraits of Stalin and Lenin, looks a little like a caricature. Is this the image of a formidable Soviet sea wolf that the Chinese organizers wish to promote?

I am sure they meant nothing offensive; their main purpose is to entertain visitors, as confirmed by Mr. Wang Pu, vice general manager of the park. On my asking whether it is hard to manage such a big military vessel, he replied: "For us it is not the military cruiser, but the Entertainment Park that should generate income." The Minsk World has certainly paid its way, having earned more than US $60 million in three years, easily surpassing the investment in its establishment.

In one of the hangars are six special centrifuges where any tourist brave enough can experience a state of weightlessness. As for myself, I don't have the courage. Also in this hangar are bars, live music and a Russian song and dance troupe that entertains visitors throughout the day.

Years ago the aircraft carrier Minsk was dubbed Peril of the Seas, but now anybody willing to pay RMB120 can visit it. This is quite a high admission fee in China, but there is still a strong fascination for this attraction named after my native city. "Where do you come from?" is a question I have been asked often in China. In Shenzhen my answer "From Minsk" brings the incredulous response: "Do you live on the ship?" No, I say, there are two Minsks - one that is mine and one that belongs to the Chinese.

INESA PLESKACHEUSKAYA: Beijing bureau chief of the Belarusian national newspaper Belarus Today and the national TV channel ONT.