Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    By sportswriter Zhang Rongfeng

    SHENZHEN, South China, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic flame moved on its journey Thursday in Guangdong Province, passing through Shenzhen, the "Window of China's Reform".

    Shenzhen, which is going to host the 2011 Universiade, is the eighth leg of the torch relay in China. As China's first Special Economic Zone initiated by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, Shenzhen has grown, after nearly 30 years of development, from a small border town into a large, modern city with international influences.

Local people gather along the relay route during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, on May 8, 2008.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Shenzhen's relay was delayed to start at noon for leaving stage to the flame Mount Qomolangma relay in the morning, but the 40 plus kilometers route was not cut, launched in the Civic Center Square at 12:10 am local time.

    The Olympic flame made its first ever trip to Mount Qomolangma as it was carried to the top of the world by Chinese mountaineers at about 9 a.m. Beijing time.

    The Mt. Qomolangma torch, which was lit at about one hundred meters away from the top, was relayed by five torchbearers to the peak. The unprecedented relay lasted about six minutes.

    Following the opening-up in the Civic Center Square, the Shenzhen relay passed the Plant Exhibition Park, Shenzhen Science-Technology Park, Nanshan No. 2 Foreign Study College, Red Forest Seaside Park, Futian Sports Complex before arriving at the celebration spot, the Shenzhen Sports Complex.

    The spotlights along the route included the "Window of the World", the Red Forest Seaside Park, Xiaoping Portrait Sign.

    The "Window of the World" is a culture & tour center, which has mustered 130 typical sights distributed around the world, covering an area of 48,000 square meters.

    The Red Forest Seaside Park is China's smallest state natural reservation.

    The Xiaoping Portrait Sign holds a size of 300 square meters, erected in the conjunction of South Shenzhen Road and Hongling Road. The sign has long been a tour attraction in memory of late Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who singled out the one-time fishing village of Shenzhen, to be the first of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in China.

    It was originally established in 1979 due to its proximity to Hong Kong. The SEZ was created to be an experimental ground of capitalism in "socialism with Chinese characteristics".

    Xiao Junfeng, the 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medalist, was credited to start the relay.

    Xiao, along with his teammates Yang Wei, Xing Aowei, Li Xiaopeng, won the men's team title of gymnastics in the 2000 Olympics.

    "I'm the first bearer in Shenzhen leg, so I need to demonstrate my best. Being able to take part in the torch relay, it reminds me of the moment of winning the Olympic gold medal in Sydney. It's an emotional memory just like eight years ago," said Xiao.

    "The Beijing Olympic Games provides us an arena in our doorway.I believe Chinese gymnastics team is capable of good results for they have already proved their capability in the World Championships and World Cup," added Xiao, who is the first Olympicgold medalist in Shenzhen.

    Li Lanmei, 29, a migrant worker in Shenzhen, was picked up to carry the torch.

    "It has long been my dream to be an Olympic torchbearer someday, now the dream comes true. It's a great favor from God," said Li.

    "I am so proud to hold the torch. I would like to tell those migrant workers 'you can be successful if only you take efforts'. The torch in my hand is my belief," said Li, adding that the torchbearer message made her sleepless the night when it came.

    Cao Yan, 38, a teacher for the handicapped, was one of the torchbearers.

    "You are great and we are proud of you," Cao read the text message after finishing her leg.

    "The students in my class required to see me carry the torch, but for the sake of their safety the school master decided to ask them stay at school and watch the TV live broadcast," said Cao.

    "I hope the Olympic flame will bring happiness and expectations to my students. I hope my students can learn the spirit of Olympians, self-motivating, overtaking difficulty and facing life strong-minded," added Cao.

    Wang Shi, a top real estate entrepreneur in China, ran in the 206th place as one of the high-profile torchbearers the day.

    He is the board chairman of Vanke, a leading real estate developer. Wang has a abundance of mountain climbing experience including mounting the Mt. Qomolangma in 2003, reaching the top of leading peaks in seven Continents worldwide, exploring the Antarctica and Arctic.

    The relay was wrapped up at 6:03 local time as Wang Qihong, a wheelchair torchbearer, was privileged to light the cauldron in Shenzhen Sports Gymnasium.

    "The Olympic flame is going to be relayed from Olympia to Beijing. The torch bears are the carriers and representatives of Olympic spirit. Today I, representing 208 torchbearers in Shenzhen, lit the cauldron. It's a great honor and I will reserve the memory for life," said Wang.

    Wang, a national gold medalist of artistic gymnast, had lost her legs for incurring bone cancer years ago, but she has been fighting against the paralysis and keeping on her quest for the sport as a trainer.

    Wang was entitled the "National Model Worker" and "Shenzhen TopTen Youth" in 2005.

    Shadowboxing, Wushu, sports dancing and magic art were played in the community celebration.

    Shenzhen is a sub-provincial city of Guangdong province in southern China, situated north of Hong Kong. The location was chosen to attract industrial investments from Hong Kong since the two places are nearby each other and share the same culture. Shenzhen is a center of foreign investment and since the late 1970s has been one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is also the busiest port in the China after Shanghai.

    Shenzhen is the earliest of the five Special Economic Zones in China. Deng Xiaoping is usually credited with the opening up of economic revival in China, often epitomized with the city of Shenzhen, which profited the most from the first legacies of Deng.

    The concept proved to be a great success, propelling the further opening up of China and continuous economic reform. Shenzhen eventually became one of the largest cities in the Pearl River Delta region, which has become one of the economic powerhouses of China as well as the largest manufacturing base in the world.

    The Olympic torch is set to carry on its relay in Huizhou, the third stop in Guangdong province on Friday.

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