Beijing 2008 Paralympic torch relay will embark on its journey in Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei province on Sunday, as the second leg of the "Modern China" route.
The Wuhan relay, with a route of 3 kilometers and sixty torchbearers, will start at Wuhan Sports Center, pass by some famous companies in Wuhan economic and technological development zone, such as Haier and Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company.
Splendid shows will be arranged before the journey by the disabled performers, including the famous Chinese conductor Zhou Zhou, to display their consistent spirit and optimistic attitude on life.
The whole event will spend one and half hours. More than 2,400 handicapped will also be invited to enjoy the performance and share the happiness of sacred flame relay.
To ensure handiapped fully enjoy the relay, the government has recruited more than 200 volunteers to provide disabled better services, such as accompanying the torchbearers to pass on the torch, serving all coming disabled food and water, and providing more convenient equipment.
"The torch relay will better reflect Wuhan's development achievements in recent years and also pass on love to the handicapped from the whole country," said Zhou Yuan, vice secretary-general of the local government.
With a population of more than eight million, Wuhan is the most important city on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and serves as the gateway to China's hinterlands.
As its outstanding geographic advantage, it is also nicknamed the "thoroughfare to nine provinces". Yangtze and its biggest tributary Hanjiang River meet downtown Wuhan and cut the city into three parts of Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang.
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will be held from September 6-17 which attracted more than 4,200 athletes from 148 countries and regions to attend.
The relays along two routes, the "Ancient China" and "Modern China", will go through 11 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.
The "Modern China" route running through Shenzhen, Wuhan, Shanghai,Qingdao and Dalian will showcase the country's achievements in its modernization drive in recent decades.
(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2008)