A handsome pilot, a television star, a man with an incredibly lucky birthday and an ex-Olympic sailor - these are just some of the expats who could be holding the Olympic flame aloft next year. Think you have what it takes to be a torchbearer when the Olympic torch relay comes to China ahead of the 2008 Games?

The hunt is on for eight foreigners who have lived in China for at least one year to be part of the torch relay. They will join a total of 21,880 torchbearers from around the world when the flame makes its journey from Olympia, Greece to light the cauldron in Beijing in August.

To register, submit a photograph and 500-word essay about your experience in China, and why you should be selected, by the end of this month. Contestants' stories are featured on China Daily's website and the public invited to vote online for their favorite participants.

The nationwide hunt for foreign torchbearers is sponsored by the Lenovo Group, the worldwide partner of the Olympic torch relay, with China Daily Group.

Winners to be declared by the end of November.

Here are excerpts from some of the colorful entries received so far:

* Robert Saunders (center below), USA, host of CCTV 6's Action English and mining executive:

"As a kid I was always interested in China. Perhaps because I constantly watched Chinese kungfu films and practised martial arts. I don't study martial arts anymore, but today my dreams of China have come true in a way I could have never before imagined. As a Chinese-speaking foreigner I feel like I have the chance to really connect with local Chinese people in a way that I might not have in another place. China has become a part of who I am and while I will always consider myself a guest in this country, Beijing is also my home."

* Jorge Barra Viegas (center above), Brazil, Shenzhen Airlines pilot:

"Getting emotional seeing Chinese youngsters competing (in 2004 Athens Games) was creating inside me a strange connection I could not completely understand. Just like if a torch fire was lit up inside my chest and head, it was like I was in Greece cheering them."

* Laurel Stelzer (right), USA, IT worker

"My favorite benefit of living in China has been eating Chinese food. Chinese cuisine is fantastic and fascinating. I have learned to cook from my friends - making jiaozi at a party, learning to make tangcu paigu (my favorite Shanghainese dish) for a dinner, and incorporating Anhui doufugan with celery to a stir-fry. I look forward to taking this piece of Chinese culture home to my family and friends in the US."

For your chance to be selected as a torchbearer, register by Sep 31 at www.chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 09/19/2007 page10)