Relay strides by city landmarks

The Yinchuan leg of the Olympic torch relay yesterday passed the noted landmarks of the city:

Xinyue Square

The 50,300 sq m square is known for its colorful atmosphere of mosques, corridors, fountains and gardens.

Yinchuan has 25 ethnic groups. The Hui minority is the largest, accounting for about 27 percent of the city's population.

Aiyi River

A key ecological project of Yinchuan started in 2003, the river links dozens of lakes that have a combined area of at least 50,000 mu, or about 3,300 hectares.

The project is instrumental in conserving wetlands, flood control, increasing efficiency of water resources and improving the city's image, according to the city government.

"Thanks to its plentiful lake resources, including Aiyi Lake, Yinchuan is a paradise for sports fishing lovers," said Gao Yang, chief of the municipal sports administration.

Other mass sports like climbing mountains and playing bridge and chess are also very popular in the city, Gao added.

Yinchuan's athletes have registered good performance in cycling and shooting races, he noted.

Qi Chunxia, the first torch bearer of the Yinchuan leg, was an woman shooting athlete who before broke a world record.

In addition, the city's long history has endowed it with a number of historical and cultural heritage, such as Yuhuang Pavilion built in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and rebuilt in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and a 26-m-high bell tower built in 1821.

The Shuidonggou archeological site, 19 km west to Yinchuan, can be traced back to more than 30,000 years. It is reportedly the only excavated spot of Paleolithic Age in the Yellow River area.

Gao said: "We feel glad to see the Olympics are around us through the torch relay event, and we welcome visitors from around the world, exchanging sports experience and touring around our city."

(China Daily 07/02/2008 page24)