In Beijing, the last stage of the Olympic fire relay

In Beijing, the last stage of the Olympic Fire of Games 2008 started. It was opened by the first Chinese cosmonaut Jan Live. After the ceremony at the gates of the Umen of the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), the torch went on a three -day journey through the cultural and historical attractions of the Chinese capital.

On August 8, the Olympic fire will be delivered to the poultry nest stadium, where the opening ceremony of the 2008 games will be held.

According to ITAR-TASS, on the first day of the relay of the 433 torch-bearer, they will carry fire on a 16-kilometer route that runs through the main historical and cultural attractions of the city. The end point of the route will be the temple of the sky, where the Chinese emperors once performed the main ceremonial rite of sacrifice of the Higher Power - the sky, which gives the ruler a mandate for supreme power in the Celestial Empire.

On the second day, the prints of the torch will visit the suburbs of the Chinese capital, and will also be taken to one of the most popular sites of the Great Chinese wall - Badalin. This 14-kilometer segment with the participation of 268 torches in the temple of the Earth will end near the center of Beijing will end.

The third day of the route will be dedicated to the new high -tech regions of the Chinese capital, from where the Olympic fire will be delivered to the main stadium "Bird Nest", where at 20:00 local time (16:00 Moscow time) the opening ceremony of the XXIX Summer Olympic Games will be held.

For all this time, 841 torchs will take part in the relay. The total length of the Beijing route will exceed 38 km. The route is planned to show the world the entire color of the capital - from ancient architectural monuments to modern areas with skyscrapers.