The Olympic torch relay in southwestern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will kick off on Friday in Guilin, Nanning and Baise, a government official said Wednesday.

Guangxi will be the first ethnic autonomous region to host the Olympic flame.

The torch relay in Guangxi coincides with the national college entrance exam and China's traditional Dragon-Boat Festival.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2008)