Qinghai ready to embrace Olympic flame

The city of Golmud will host the first stage of the Olympic torch relay through Qinghai province on Sunday.

Located in the northeast part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Golmud is home to the Hol Xil National Nature Reserve and its rare Tibetan antelopes, which are represented by the Olympic mascot Fuwa Yingying.

The relay is scheduled to last two hours and will involve 171 torchbearers. The city itself is a production base for Kunlun jade, which will be used in the medals for the Beijing Olympics.