The first leg of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic torch relay was held in Xi'an on Friday, where seventy carriers braved a raining weather to pass the flame in an inspiring way.
The early-morning mist shrouding the city turned into drizzle when the 3,100-meter long relay swung into action along a 15-meterwide path on the top of the imposing ancient wall, which offered a fantastic bird's eye view of the city with immense cultural heritage.
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Torchbearer Li Huimin lights the cauldron after the Beijing 2008 Paralympic torch relay in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, China, Aug. 29, 2008. (Xinhua/Zhang Shanchen)
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The relay produced the most inspiring moment when No. 30 carrier Yan Yubin, with the help of a crutch, shuffled his left foot and limped forward holding high the flame.
The 47-year-old man, who was an owner of a hospital, had an atrophied left leg from infantile paralysis, but he refused to carried the torch on a wheelchair.
"I had to prove I can walk myself. I must cover the most glorious 45-meter distance in my life with my own feet," he said.
"For those disabled persons like me, they cannot give up efforts to overcome their disablities. They must make them useful to the society," he added.
For No. 39 carrier Dong Yinglong, the relay meant something very special for him.
"Today is my 70th birthday, there could have been no better a gift than to run the relay," he said.
The relay reached a climactic cresendo when the last torchbearer Li Huimin lighted the cauldron symbolising the conclusion of this leg of the torch relay. The crowd burst into cheers and applause when they saw the cauldron was set aflame.
Despite a less agreeable weather, Zhang Ming, deputy director of the Beijing Paralympic Torch Relay Center, was rather satisfied with the organisation of the relay.