Olympic torch relay kicks off in Huizhou, the third stop in southeast China's Guangdong Province on May 9, 2008.

The Olympic torch relay in Huizhou nicknamed "the city of goose", the third stop in Guangdong province, kicked off with the local backstroker Chen Xiujun as the first bearer on Friday.

Chen, 22, finished first in women's 200m backstroke at China's naitonal games 2001. A year later, she was ranked fourth at the Busan Asian Games in the event. In the 2004 Athens Games, Chen settled with the fourth place in 4x100 medley.

Chen Xiujun carries the Olympic torch in Huizhou, southeast China's Guangdong Province on May 9, 2008.

Other top athletes in torchbearers include Liang Wenbo, a snooker player and Lv Qin, an international chess master and Zhong Xiu'e, a retired wrestler.

Lv, a team and individual world chess champion, is the last one in the day's relay.

Liang is the champion at the 2005 world youth billiard championships, and also is the team champion at the Doha Asian Games 2006. He reached the quarterfinals at the World Championships 2008.

Zhong Xiu'e boasted a five-time world champion in a row and was entitled "Top Ten Wrestlers in 20th Century".

The Huizhou relay started at 8:10 local time in the City Stadium Square, set to pass East River Bridge, East River Sands Park, Rivers Joining Building, Pen Pagoda, Ancient City Gate, Flat Lake Gate, Huabianling Square, Huizhou College, South Line Intersection, Red Flower Lake, West Lake Gate, Ciyun Pavilion and Huizhou Bridge and Civic Eden.

The itinerary lasts for 30 kilometers, covering lake-encircling scenery, avenues, tree-thriving massif, demonstrating a scene of "half landscape and half lake" in the city.

Thousands of local residents witnessed the opening ceremony in which hundreds of pigeons were released.

Huizhou is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province, China. Part of the Pearl River Delta, Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shaoguan to the north, Heyuan to the northeast, Shanwei to the east, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, and looks out to the South China Sea to the south.

Its name is linked to the "four treasures of the scholar's studio", often referred to as Huizhou's "four treasures of the scholar's studio".

Huizhou gradually gained benefit from the Chinese economic reform in the late 1980s. The blossom of real estate market attracted capital investment from Hong Kong and Taiwan, together with the establishment of factories and plants by these investment.

During the past 30 years of reform and opening-up, Huizhou has been an economic powerhouse of Guangdong. Manufacturing and research centers of world brands, such as General Electric, SONY, Samsung and Lenovo, all based in Huizhou.

It also has the world's largest battery producer as well as Asia's biggest telephone manufacturer.

In the provincial economic development strategy, Huizhou is regarded as a site for a world-class petrochemical industry, as well as the hub for solidifying information technology, and expanding exports and trades.

The flame had passed Guangzhou, the capital city of the province, on Wednesday and Shenzhen, China's first special economic zone, on Thursday.

Thursday also witnessed the history-making moment when a separate relay was held on Mt. Qomolangma, the world's highest peak with an altitude of 8,844.43 meters.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2008)