Special report: 2008 Olympic Games　

    By Hu Ruoyu, Qian Rong

    XINING, Northwest China, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Tibetans become a distinct part of all torchbearers in the Olympic torch relay in northwest China's Qinghai Province starting on Sunday. And the first torchbearer is a "Tibetan Antelope Guard".

    The Olympic torch relay is to kick off in Golmud (Geermu City) Sunday morning and then traveled to the Qinghai Lake. The last stop of the 3-day leg is the provincial capital Xining.

    The Olympic flame passed through Tibet Autonomous Region's capital Lhasa in a joyful and peacefully atmosphere Saturday morning. The flame arrived in Golmud by flight in the afternoon.

    Cega, director of the Hol Xil Natural Reserve Administration, is now listed as the first torchbearer in Golmud as well as in Qinghai.

    He spent 10 years on anti-poaching efforts in Hol Xil and successfully promoted Tibetan antelope to be selected one mascot of the Beijing Olympics, Fuwa Yingying.

    "I'm very excited. I'm very proud," said Cega. "My torchbearer card is number 001. That makes me feel like returning back to my childhood, walking out the first step in my life."

    Sonam Tongchi, an 18-year-old vocational school student who was honored "Outstanding Student of Qinghai", is a torchbearer in Xining. He saved a 10-year-old girl from fire but got a severe burn early this year.

    Many other Tibetans like Kongbao Cedain, a medical aid hero who just came back from the quake-stricken area in Sichuan, would carry the torch in the Qinghai leg.

    The organizers did not announce the exact number of Tibetan torchbearers or other ethnic torchbearers. But according to the latest list obtained by Xinhua reporter, Tibetan torchbearers will run a high media-coverage distance in each stop.

    Tibetans consisits of major part of the torchbearers in the second stop, south shore of the Qinghai Lake. They are choosen from the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Hainan. And Tibetans take up nearly three-fouth of the first and last four torchbearers there.

    Nearly one-fifth of Qinghai's 5.51 million population are ethicTibetans.

    "The torchbearers selected by us are from major ethnic groups in Qinghai, including Tibetan, Han, Hui, Sala and Mogolian," said Feng, "The proportion of each ethnic group differs in each stop, considering the local population." Feng Jianping, head of Qinghai Sports Bureau.

    Among 624 torchbearers of Qinghai leg, 377 are selected by Qinghai itself while the rest are chosen by Chinese Olympic committee, Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games(BOCOG) and major sponsors. They will run a total distance of 22.3kilometers.

    Qinghai is called "China's Cistern" for it holds the source of Yangtz River, Yellow River and Lancang River (part of the river flowing out of China is known as the Mekong). It plays a key role in curbing climate change and keeping ecological balance in China and Southeast Asia.

    The Kunlun jade, which is used for making Beijing Olympic medals, or "Gold Inlaid with Jade", are also produced from the province's Kunlun Mountain.