Special report:   2008 Olympic Games    

    By Hu Ruoyu, Qian Rong

    XINING, Qinghai Province, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic flame concluded its journey through northwest China's Qinghai Province Tuesday morning in Xining, witnessing ethnic diversity and unity.

    Xining, the provincial capital, is the last stop of the torch relay's 3-day Qinghai leg after Golmud and Qinghai Lake. The flame then left this vast and multi-ethnic province for Shanxi Province in mid-north China.

    Li Chunxiu, a retired walking racer and bronze medallist in the1992 Barcelona Olympics, lightened the community cauldron at 10:15a.m. in the closing ceremony in Xining Square.

    "I'm very honored and excited to be a torchbearer," said Li. "The Olympic flame passes hope of the Chinese people as well as the Qinghai people's best wishes to their compatriots in quake-stricken areas."

    Ethnic diversity marked the list of torchbearers in Qinghai. Nearly half of the 377 torchbearers chosen by Qinghai itself belong to minority ethnic groups, including 66 Tibetans. That number only ranks second after Tibetan torchbearers in neighboring Tibet Autonomous Region.

    Qinghai is the most Tibetan-populated province in China. Nearlyone-fifth of the province's 5.51 million population are ethic Tibetans. Three-fifth of the 10 Tibetan autonomous prefectures are located here.

    "Today we have so many people gathering here to see the torch relay because it's an international and national event, shared by all ethnic people," said Xining's last torchbearer Li.

    Moreover, all the first torchbearers in three stops are minority ethnic. In Golmud is "Tibetan Antelope Guard" Cega, in Qinghai Lake Mongolian doctor Dagar and in Xining Tajik academician Wu Tianyi.

    "Being the first torchbearer in my hometown, I really feel the ethnic equality and the respect to Tibetan people," said Cega when he received the Number 001 torchbearer card on Saturday.

    "The Olympic flame passes harmony, friendship and solidarity around China," said the 56-year-old Tibetan. "Being a Tibetan torchbearer, I truly feel the warmth and unity in our 56-ethnic family."

    Local people in the three stops greeted the flame and the torchbearers with their own ethnic traditions. Folk dances and sings of Tibetan, Mongolian, Hui, Tu, Sala and other ethnic groups could be seen around there.

    In Qinghai Lake, a sacred lake in the heart of Tibetans, local Tibetan herds greeted the flame with a nearly-6-kilometer-long white hada, a gift to welcome guest from afar. They also presented hadas and barley wine to the torchbearers from home and abroad.

    "Being greeted by our Tibetan compatriots, I feel very fortunate and I'm deeply moved," said torchbearer Liu Yongtao. "The profound friendship between different ethnic groups really impressed me."

    PASS THE FLAME, PASS THE LOVE

    "We pass the passion and ideal for harmony here. We also show our confidence and courage to help the quake-affected people rebuild home," said torchbearer Wang Xiaoping.

    Wang showed a yellow silk belt during his relay. "I want to show our love and care to the quake-stricken people," said he.

    Like Wang, all the torchbearers and people in Qinghai never forgot the people affected by the catastrophic May 12 Wenchuan quake in southwest Sichuan.

    Every time the starting ceremony began, people first paid a one-minute silent tribute to the victims in the quake, a death toll expected to exceed 80,000 according the latest report.

    Among the slogans hailed by people, "Go China, Go Sichuan" and "Share the Olympic Spirit, Support the Quake Relief" are as common as those cheering the Olympics.

    "The quake in Sichuan is a nation-shaking disaster," said torchbearer Christopher Thomas. "Being a foreigner, I'm deeply moved when seeing all the Chinese people get united, strive to help each other quickly and save numerous lives."

    Quake hero torchbearers can be seen in each stop of the leg. "That being chosen a torchbearer is not only a honor to myself but also to all our rescue workers, " said Yu Congle, the second torchbearer in Xining.

    Yu led more than 150 men succeeding in clearing 140-kilometer-long "life passage" in Sichuan only in two weeks.

    "The quake relief there deeply impressed me and I feel the greatness of our nation, the fraternity from all the people at home and abroad," said Dagar, who's just come back from Sichuan and saved over 1,800 lives with his aid team.

    When the last stop began in the morning, the nightlong shower abated; When the last torchbearer lightened the cauldron, the sun shone again.

    Just like the weather, people see brightness and hopes from the Olympic flame.

    "I firmly believe the people in the disaster area will rebuild their home and have a brighter future," said said Zhang Qiang, a neurosurgeon and aid worker.