Hangzhou torch relay to kick off near West Lake

The Hangzhou Asian Games torch relay will kick off on Friday near the iconic West Lake, officials said at a press conference on Wednesday at the Main ­Media Center. 

A total of 2,022 torchbearers will participate in the relay, ranging in age from 14 to 84 years old. 

The torch has undergone 3,000 tests to prevent any possibility of being extinguished due to inclement weather, official said.

The relay is set to start its 13-day journey from the West Lake, a UNESCO world heritage site in East China's Zhejiang Province that dates back to the 9th century.

The torch will then journey through 11 cities in Zhejiang, including Huzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Zhoushan, Taizhou, Wenzhou, Lishui, Jinhua and Quzhou, before returning to Hangzhou on September 20 to complete its final leg.

This torch relay will follow the ideas of "green, intelligent, frugal, civilized," four concepts that are expected to be implemented throughout the games, which can be seen from the torch relay as well as the environmentally friendly building materials, low-tech construction means and sustainable venue facilities inside the Asian Games Village as well. 

Du Zuofeng, a deputy commander of Hangzhou Asian Games Torch Relay Command Center, told the Global Times that, first of all, the torch relay route follows the conventions of international competitions, and second, "this is also an excellent opportunity to reflect the development of Zhejiang."

"In the process to nail down the relay routes, each city has always focused on the ideas of 'a poetic Yangtze River, a vibrant Zhejiang,' and strived to highlight the 'Zhejiang style," noted Du.

For example, in its starting point of Hangzhou, the relay route was named after "the Route of Heaven," which is taken from a local idiom "Up above there is Heaven; down below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou."

In Hangzhou, participants will travel through the Liangzhu Ruins, the West Lake and Qiantang River, a vivid reflection of Hangzhou's history, innovation and ecological civilization. 

A number of famous athletes including badminton world champions Chen Yufei and Wang Yilü, swimming world champions Wang Shun and Ye Shiwen, and table tennis world champion Fan Zhendong will carry the torch.

Industry pace-setters such as Shi Yigong, an academician at West Lake University, digital economy representative Zhang Yong and Zero Magnetic Medical Technology Innovation Center Ning Xiaolin, who is also a representative of China's science and technology industry, will participate.

National-level "moral models" including Cui Yiwen and Peng Qinglin have also been invited to run for the event. The former was stabbed eight times to protect her classmate and the latter saved a drowning girl by jumping off a 12-meter-high bridge.

To allay the concerns that the torch might be put out during the journey, a total of 3,000 tests were made in various simulated conditions.

"The Hangzhou Asian Games torch has passed the tests such as indoor level 10 rotating winds, but also outdoor scenes imitating seaside, typhoon, heavy rain and wind conditions. The results show that the torch cannot be put out even under 300mm/h rainfall," added Du.

The flame for the Asian Games was ignited at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu in June, which marked the beginning of the 100-day countdown to this intra-continental multi-sport event.

Meanwhile, a "digital torchbearer" campaign is being held online for fans who are unable to attend the off-line torch relay. More than 76 million people have participated in a virtual torch relay as digital torchbearers through online platforms, organizers said.

The Hangzhou Asian Games will open on September 23 and close on October 8, with 12,417 athletes and 4,975 officials from 45 countries and regions set to participate, the organizing committee announced.