Lv Lin
As the last torchbearer lit the flame cauldron waiting at Jiaxing's sports stadium, the clock struck 4:25 p.m. Lv Lin, who claimed the gold in the Barcelona Olympic Games as a part of the men's table tennis double's team from China, held the flame high for all to see before igniting the cauldron.
With the successful conclusion of the Jiaxing leg of the torch relay, the sacred flame ends its 5 city tour of Zhejiang Province. On Thursday evening, the flame headed towards Shanghai, where it is scheduled to begin a two-day journey.
The 8.2 kilometer route through Jiaxing was traveled on by 90 torchbearers, starting from Qiyi Square and ending at the Jiaxing sports stadium.
A visit to Jiaxing would not be complete without a stop at the Nanhu Lake. The sacred flame was brought to the famous historical body of water (a tourist destination starting from the Tang Dynasty), where it climbed aboard a "red boat" for a scenic ride.
The Nanhu Lake is also famed for being the birthplace of China's Communist Party.
Jiaxing, a port city located in southeast China, neighbors Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou.
(BOCOG May 23, 2008)