HAIKOU: The Olympic torch ended its three-day run in Hainan province on a high note yesterday, with one million turning up on the streets of the provincial capital to experience the relay.

"Today in Haikou, 1 million people witnessed a very successful relay. The past three days have been exciting, and I can see that people in Hainan have all shared the happiness and glory of the Olympics," He Zhenliang, member of the International Olympic Committee and honorary president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said yesterday after the relay.

The torch relay in Hainan started in the island's southernmost city of Sanya on Sunday, and covered the cities of Wuzhishan, Wanning and Qionghai on the eastern coast on Monday before it reached Haikou yesterday. There were 624 torchbearers in the last three days, 208 for each day.

"I have enjoyed the event. The happy and exciting mood that the Olympic flame has brought here goes well with the sunny atmosphere of the island," said torchbearer and local journalist Lu Haiying.

Xu Huyi, a student at Hainan University, also went into the streets to watch the relay yesterday.

"There is nothing to worry about, over the safety of the torch in Hainan. You can see that the local people are very enthusiastic about the relay. They love it from the bottom of their hearts," Xu said.

(China Daily 05/07/2008 page12)