On the night of August 5, the Olympic torch relay will arrive in Beijing from Sichuan. From the 6th to the 8th, the torch will travel around the capital, and the shape of its journey will spell out the character for "peace." On the night of the 8th, it will reach the National Stadium (the "Bird's Nest") and light the main flame. This was announced on August 4 by the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Torch Relay in Beijing.

The torch relay in Beijing will last for 3 days, cover 38.92 kilometers, and pass through 841 hands. The torchbearers have all been selected, and they are greater in number than in any other city in China through which the torch has traveled. The relay is planned to take 8 hours and 54 minutes. On the 6th, the relay will start at the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City, and at the end of the day it will reach the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven Park. On the 7th, it will start at Wengcheng Square at the Badaling Great Wall and end at the Altar for Prayer in the Temple of Earth Park. On the 8th, it will start at the archaeological site of the Peking Man in Zhoukoudian, and at 12:59 it is planned to travel from the 101 Middle School in the Olympic Youth Camp to the National Stadium (the "Bird's Nest"), where it will light the main flame at the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

It is reported that the Beijing torch relay will pass through Tiananmen, Chang'an Avenue, the Great Hall of the People, and other famous sites in Beijing to show the charm of Beijing as "a national capital, an international city, a famous historical city, and a residential city," to create a serene atmosphere throughout the city as all look forward to the Olympics, and to complete its harmonious journey.

By People's Daily Online