Olympic flame lights the passion of Sanya

Olympic flame lights the passion of Sanya

After finishing its relay in Macao, the Beijing Olympic Flame landed at Sanya Fenghuang International airport, to start its first leg on the Chinese mainland. After a brief ceremony today, the torch relay starts in the Fire Phoenix Square of Sanya's Phoenix Island.

A total of 208 torchbearers, including sports stars, officials, businessmen and show-biz figures will run through the 30.09 kilometers route that will end at the senic spot of Tianya Haijiao. It will pass the Crown of Beauty Center, Haiyue Square of Sanya Gulf, and Haihong Square. Sanya mayor Lu Zhiyuan said on Saturday that the arrival of the Olypmic Flame will ignite the enthusiam of all the citizens, and he expressed that Sanya will develop the Olympic spirit and promote the internationalization process of the city.

China's skating Olympic champion Yang Yang will be the first torchbearer in Sanya. Yang, the first Chinese gold medalist in the Winter Olympic Games, won two golds in the 500 meter and 1000 meter short track speed skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games to end China's gold drought at the Winter Olympics. Yang won a total of 59 world titles in her career in the World Championships and World Cups. She announced her retirement at the age of 30 in August,2006.

The second torchbearer will be Bank of China president Li Lihui.

Basketball star Yi Jianlian, who was expected to be the first torchbearer in Sanya, will insted be the third one. Yi was drafted by the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks in June of 2007. But the rookie forward missed the final eight games of the season with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Yi averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 66 games. Hailing from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, he is one of China's top basketball stars.

Jackie Chan and Pu Huifang, Tianya Township's mayor, will be the last torchbearers.

After Sanya, the Olympic Flame will head to Wuzhishan, another city in Hainan Province.

Sanya is at the Southernmost tip of Hainan Island. It covers an area of 1920 square kilometers. There are 40 islands around Sanya's 209.1 kilomter coastline, 10 of which are quite large. Sanya's location on the coast provides easy access from the Philippines, Australia, and Indo-China, making it a true gateway to southern China. The city has a tropical oceanic monsoon climate with an average tempature of 25.3 degrees Celsius. The hottest month is July at 28.3 degrees Celsius; the coldest is January at 20.3 degrees. During the most comfortable months between October and April, Sanya recieves a continuous stream of visitors. Visiting during low season, from May to September, is a good way to avoid the crowds.