Torchbearer Luo Xuejuan
Asian Games
By Fang Jingyi
The 19th Asian Games Torch Relay officially started in Hangzhou on Sept 9, marking the 15-day countdown to the Games.
The Olympic swimming champion Luo Xuejuan was the first torchbearer of the Hangzhou leg of the 19th Asian Games Torch Relay. The Torch Relay started at Yongjin Park, passed through Nanshan Road, Hubin Road, Beishan Street, Xiling Bridge, and Gushan Road before reaching the final destination, Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake, one of the "Ten Scenes of West Lake". A total of 106 torchbearers participated in the first day of the Torch Relay, with the Olympic champion Yang Qian concluding the relay as the last torchbearer.
The volleyball Olympic champion Zhou Suhong led the way as the first torchbearer on the next day at the Torch Relay in Huzhou, which was participated by a total of 170 torchbearers, including the Qianjiang Friendship Ambassador Ashley Gareth Sutcliff from Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the Wushu world champion Dai Dandan, among others. The final torchbearer to display the torch on stage was Li Rongxiang, who claimed the title of Javelin Throw at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
The third day of the relay in Jiaxing saw the Tokyo Olympic badminton champion Wang Yilyu leading the relay as the first torchbearer. Covering a total distance of 8.8 kilometers, the torch bearers passed through the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Chunbo Gate, and Jiaxing Railway Station to be cheered by the crowds on both sides of the road.
Starting from Lu Xun's former residence, where the prominent modern Chinese literature guru lived and studied in his early years, the torch relay in Shaoxing also attracted a large crowd.
Departing from Beilun, Ningbo, the starting point of the "Maritime Silk Road", the Ningbo leg of the 19th Asian Games Torch Relay started with first torchbearer Yuan Xinyue, the Rio Olympic women's volleyball champion.
The Hangzhou Asian Games Torch Relay will encompass 11 cities in Zhejiang Province, with over 2,000 torchbearers participating in the whole event. So far, the torch relay has covered six legs and is ongoing in Taizhou today, Sept 14.