The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games September 6-17, 2008
The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games September 6-17, 2008
Two separate relay routes will begin in Beijing and will meet again on September 5 to continue the flame's tour of the capital before the lighting of the main cauldron at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, on September 6.
The "Ancient China" route covers the historic cities of Xi'an, Hohhot, Changsha, Nanjing and Luoyang and showcases the long history of Chinese civilization and the beautiful panorama of the host country. The "Modern China" route passes through Shenzhen, Wuhan, Shanghai, Qingdao and Dalian and highlights China's post reform and opening-up achievements.
Each leg of the Paralympic relay will be similar to that of the Olympic torch relay. There will be an opening and closing ceremony in each city, and each torchbearer will run 50 meters. Sixty torchbearers will run a total of three kilometers in one-and-a-half hours in each city. As Beijing is the host city, the relay distance and time as well as the number of the torchbearers will be more than those of other cities.
