Torch relay illuminates ancient capital Xi'an

Torchbearer Tian Liang waves during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 4, 2008.
(Photo credit: Jiao Weiping/Xinhua)

Updated：2008-07-04


The last torchbearer Wang Libin lights the cauldron at Furong Garden (Photo credit: Fan Fan)

(XI'AN, July 4) -- Near the fantastic afterlife palace complex built to hold China's first emperor and his terracotta warriors through eternity, torchbearer Wang Libin completed the last leg of the Olympic torch's odyssey through Xi'an.

In a region that served as the imperial capital on and off for centuries, Wang lit a fire-catching cauldron to mark the close of the torch's passage through Xi'an on Friday morning.

Olympic gold medalist Tian Liang, who grabbed first-place prizes in diving during the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, launched the torch relay through Xi'an, and another 200-plus bearers carried the sacred flame through the ancient Chinese city.

The last torchbearer Wang Libin (Photo credit: Fan Fan)

As it passes through China, the Olympic torch has been lighting up a spectacular spectrum of cities and cultures, artifacts and architecture across the ages.

Xi'an was the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty of 618-907, which is regarded by many cultural historians as the "Golden Age" of Chinese Buddhist sculpture, figure painting, Daoist poetry and aristocratic learning.

The Tang's open-minded rulers supported global trade across the Silk Road, and their capital became a multicultural world metropolis that was probably unrivalled in terms of technology and urban sophistication for centuries.

The Tang Dynasty-styled Furong Garden is decorated with flags and banners (Photo credit: Fan Fan)

A palatial imperial wall and sentry watchtowers still surround the city, and nearby the intricately sculpted Terracotta Army still stands sentinel over the underground necropolis built for Qin Shihuang, who created the first Chinese empire in 221 BC.

While completing the Olympic flame's relay through Xi'an, torchbearer and basketball star Wang Libin said: "I hope the Beijing Olympics push forward progress in our society and promote social harmony in our country."

An art performance featuring terracotta figurines (Photo credit: Fan Fan)

Wang, called the "Best Center in Asia," joined the national team in 1981, and has since taken part in a string of world competitions.

Xi'an, meanwhile, is believed to be the birthplace of many sports in China. Polo, tug-of-war, wrestling, chess and other sports flourished here more than one thousand years ago.

An early version of football appeared in China even before Qin Shihuang forged the first Chinese empire here, and the real-life models for his terracotta sentries might have played the game during their spare time.