Olympic flame continues journey in China's "crane town" _English

Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

Torchbearer Liu Yan runs with the torch during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on July 12, 2008.

Torchbearer Liu Yan runs with the torch during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Qiqihar, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on July 12, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
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QIQIHAR, Northeast China, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic torch kicked off its relay in Qiqihar, the second largest city in China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province, at 8:10 on Sunday morning.

Liu Yan, winner at the 2008 National Grand Prix Figure Skating, ran the first leg of the relay, starting from the Municipal Public Square in Qiqihar, which is well-known for red-crowned cranes.