Real Madrid's superstars jet into China amid heavy security

Real Madrid arrived in China to a raucous welcome amid heavy security -- with all the attention on David Beckham.

The Spanish club, packed with multi-millionaire superstars, touched down at Kunming airport at 12.05 pm (0405 GMT) and were treated to a traditional welcome ceremony from around 100 colourfully dressed and drum-banging members of Yunnan province's ethnic minorities.

Around 700 people crammed viewpoints around the tarmac with the biggest whoops of delight, and all the media attention, reserved for Real's new signing Beckham.

The England captain and former Manchester United star, without wife Victoria -- Posh Spice -- stepped from the plane to have a flower garland planted over his head as bystanders cheered and clapped.

Wearing the team's casual blue slacks and blue shirt and sporting a Japanese-style ponytail, the football glamour boy jogged to a waiting bus to join his teammates and sped off.

Real will spend a week in Kunming, capital of southwestern Yunnan, training before an exhibition match in Beijing and a loop through Asia.

Massive security has been thrown up for their stay.

At the Hongta sports centre, the training ground of the Chinese national team where Real will strut their stuff, an estimated 1,000 security guards have been deployed.

Another 700 police are on duty, one officer said.

"Security is very tight," he said.

This was reinforced as journalists arrived at hotels in the city over the past few days, with heavily armed police demanding room by room inspections with sniffer dogs.

"I'm a policeman. Please cooperate and leave your room while we check it," said one officer. "It's a security check."

All hotels in the town have been booked by Hongta, the Chinese tobacco company sponsoring the trip.

Thousands of Chinese journalists are expected to cover the event along with around 300 overseas reporters.

China is hoping the spectacle of so many high profile soccer players will help kick-start its tourism industry stalled by the SARS crisis that gripped that country earlier this year.

And they are taking no chances that the visit will be blighted.

According to state newspaper reports, anti-terrorism exercises were carried out in Kunming on Thursday.

The China Daily said 1,000 police and public security officials simulated an exercise where they rescue a bus load of people taken hostage by gunmen.