 Olympic flame lightens ancient fame
By Lin Shujuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-05 08:13
Near the fantastic afterlife palace built to hold China's first emperor and his terracotta warriors through eternity, once Asia's best basketball center Wang Libin completed the last leg of the Olympic torch's odyssey through Xi'an. In a region that served as the imperial capital on and off for centuries, Wang lit the cauldron to mark the close of the torch's passage through Xi'an on Friday morning. "Today we, 8.3 million of Xi'an citizens, have witnessed in person the glory of the Olympic spirit complement with the historical splendor and great achievement of modernization of Xi'an," said Chen Baogen, mayor of the city, at the closing ceremony. "We believe today's relay will add more splendor to the torch and bring our best wishes to the Olympic Games in Beijing, which is only 35 days away," he said. Olympic gold medalist Tian Liang, who grabbed first-place prizes in diving during the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, launched the torch relay through Xi'an, and another 207 bearers carried the sacred flame through the ancient Chinese city. The 9.2-kilometer route started from the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and passed a number of famous scenic spots and busy streets highlighting Tang Dynasty (618-907) archeological and cultural characteristics. Enthusiastic Xi'an residents welcomed the torch and runners with cheers and smiles.
Torchbearers included celebrities like composer Zhao Jiping, China's top literature award winner Chen Zhongshi, author of "Bailu Yuan", or White Deer Plain, pop singer Lin Yilun and actress Mei Ting, who is also image ambassador of Red Cross Asia and Fuwa Jingjing. Zhao has been dedicated to the preparation of the opening ceremony of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing together with Chinese famed director Zhang Yimou. "The music for the first-half of the opening ceremony is undergoing its final recording and editing," said the composer. "Everything is well on its way. And I guarantee that this part of music is full of Chinese flavors." Also included in the list of the torchbearers were Zheng Nanning, president of the Xi'an Jiaotong University and local entrepreneurs like Liu Huaguo, CEO of Yinqiao Group, He Zhifang from True Love Investment Group, and Wang Junfeng, chairman of King & Wood, China's largest law firm and legal service provider for the Beijing Olympic Games. Wang, so far the only lawyer of the mainland to run the relay, said: "The Games are full of rules and legislation. The Olympic spirits of fairness, democracy and rule of law will play special roles in promoting the country's social development and civilization." Xi'an was the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty, which is regarded by many cultural historians as the "Golden Age" of Chinese Buddhist sculpture, figure painting, Daoist poetry and aristocratic learning. The Tang's open-minded rulers supported global trade across the Silk Road, and their capital became a multicultural world metropolis that was probably unrivalled in terms of technology and urban sophistication for centuries. A palatial imperial wall and sentry watchtowers still surround the city, and nearby the intricately sculpted Terracotta Army still stands sentinel over the underground necropolis built for Qin Shihuang, who created the first Chinese empire in 221 BC. While completing the Olympic flame's relay through Xi'an, torchbearer and basketball star Wang Libin said: "I hope the Beijing Olympics push forward progress in our society and promote social harmony in our country." Xi'an, meanwhile, is believed to be the birthplace of many sports in China. Polo, tug-of-war, wrestling, chess and other sports flourished here more than one thousand years ago. Today as an industrial and manufacturing center, the ancient capital is also a national hub of science and technology development, especially in field of aerospace.
(China Daily 07/05/2008 page12) |
