Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    CHANGCHUN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin province and nicknamed "Chinese Motown", was illuminated as the Beijing Olympic torch toured here on Monday.

    The first torchbearer Wang Jiaqi, an academician of Chinese Academy of Science, passed the flame to Xu Jianyi, general manager of the FAW Group Corporation where lots of employees became torchbearers, including Wang Hongjun, the first worker-winner of the National Award for Advancements in Science and Technology.

Torchbearer Wang Jiaqi displays the torch during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Changchun, capital city of northeast China's Jilin Province, on July 14, 2008.  (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Wang Jiaqi, who is in charge of the designing team of the Shenzhou spaceships, said he feld very honored to hold the torch.

    "At this moment, I am looking forward to the August Games and our century-old dream of holding a Games will be realized," Wang told Xinhua after finishing his relay.

    The 68-year-old Wang is well known in Chinese space flight industry. Even before sending the first Chinese astronaut into space with Shenzhou V in October 2003, Wang and his team had already started working on Shenzhou VI.

    Changchun, which has the same latitude with Detroit, is known as China's Motown. The first truck and the first car of the people's republic had been made in this city. During the torch relay, so many citizens came to the street to watch and hail the torchbearers.

    Wang Chunlu, the bronze medal winner of 500m short track speed skating in the 19th Winter Olympic Games, is the last torchbearer in Changchun leg.

    She lit the cauldron and brought the torch relay to a successful end on 10:20 a.m. local time.

    "The Auspicious Clouds came to Jilin province and the Olympic flame ignites passion of the industrial base in Northeast China. China Motown Changchun is going to have a better tomorrow certainly," Han Changfu, who is the governor of Jilin province, said at the end of the relay.