Shenzhen University (SZU) was overwhelmed by cheering crowds yesterday when the Universiade torch relay passed on campus.
Mayor Xu Qin ignited the torch in front of SZU’s old library and declared the start of the second leg of the Games torch relay, which involved 90 torchbearers.
Xu passed the torch to Gu Jialiang, the first torchbearer and an SZU student. Each torchbearer ran 60 meters on the 5.4-kilometer relay route, which passed the school’s teaching buildings, dormitories and stadiums.
“It is better and more exciting than Monday’s rehearsal to run with a real torch,” Gu said.
Jiang Honggang, the last torchbearer and a student from Shenzhen Polytechnic, said: “I arrived at my starting point at around 8 a.m. and discussed with the torchbearer before me how to make our torch handover interesting.”
Each of the torchbearers will be given a Games torch as a souvenir.
The torchbearers’ excitement was shared by a large crowd of young students from across the city, who flanked the relay route to vie for a close look at the torchbearers and the Games torch, which was only displayed on TV before.
“It is my first close look at the Universiade torch, which is colorful and unique,” said Wang Jia, a student from the Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology, who with his friends ran with the 90 torchbearers to take a snapshot of each torchbearer.
“I want to record each of these torchbearers with my camera and put them on my microblog to promote the Games,” Wang said.
The torch relay is scheduled to continue at Guangzhou University Town on Sunday.
On Aug. 10 and 11, two days before the opening of the Games, the relay will continue in Shenzhen, covering the downtown area and Longgang District.