Beijing profiled: Lighting the Torch

The torch will be lit on 28 August at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The official torch relay had been planned to continue thereafter on an international route for 10 days, through the future Paralympic Games’ host cities (London, Vancouver and Sochi).

However, due to the devastating earthquake that struck China, BOCOG has decided to modify the arrangements and cancel the aforementioned international route. The modifications include now two shortened national routes within China, including the cities of Shenzhen, Wuhan, Shanghai, Qingdao and Dalian for the Route of Modern China. The Route of Ancient China includes the Huangdi Mausoleum, Xi’an, Hohhot, Changsha, Nanjing and Luoyang.

According to BOCOG, those changes have been made to afford the Chinese government to focus on the rescue and relief work and show support for the people affected by the earthquake, especially persons with a disability.

The international route would have been historic as the first torch relay on such an expansive, international level for the Paralympic Games. The IPC is disappointed and hopes to see this landmark event take place at another Games in the future.

The starting point for the modified national routes does remain at the Temple of Heaven. This well-known structure and UNESCO World Heritage Site is the collection of several Taoist buildings in southeastern Beijing. Constructed from 1406 to 1420, the complex was visited by Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties in order to pray for a good harvest.

The Temple of Heaven was renovated and restored at a price-tag of EUR 3.8M in preparation for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. It is one of the 60 tourist attractions in Beijing that have been made accessible to people with a disability, just in time for the Games.