The Beijing Olympic Torch Relay leg in Jiangxi Province's Jinggangshan, the cradle of the Chinese revolution, kicked off at 8 AM on Thursday with a torch lighting ceremony that was hosted by Jiangxi Vice Governor Xie Ru.
Addressing the crowds, Wang Xiaofeng, secretary of the Jinggangshan City Committee of the CPC, said that the Olympic flame would ignite the Olympic passion in the local citizens and allow them to share the Olympic dream.
In a separate speech, Zhou Meng, secretary of the Ji'an City Committee off the CPC, pointed out the significance of the arrival of the Olympic flame in the old revolutionary city. "The melding of the Olympic flame with the fire of revolutionary China will ignite the passion of the people," Zhou said.
Afterwards, BOCOG Executive Vice-President Liu Jingmin handed the torch to Jiangxi Governor Wu Xinxiong. After holding up the torch for the crowds to see, Governor Wu handed the torch over to Secretary Zhou, who in turn handed the torch to Secretary Wang.
First torchbearer Zhou Hechun, a local sports coach, received the torch from Secretary Wang to begin the relay from Huangyangjie Post. The flame will travel 15 kilometers via 208 torchbearers.
