The Olympic flame has reached the final stages of its relay through Hunan province, visiting Xiangtan and the county-level city of Shaoshan. 168 torchbearers took part in today's relay.

After observing one-minute of silence for the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake, the relay began from the East Red Square in Xiangtan in the morning. The flame travelled almost 16 kilometers to Xiangtan University, the end of the first stage of today's journey. Then the relay moved on to Shaoshan, the birthplace of Chairman Mao Zedong.

After the Hunan relay, the Olympic flame will fly to Guilin in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

(CCTV June 6, 2008)