Olympic torch arrives in earthquake disaster zone
MIANYANG, China --The Olympic flame was carried Monday around the track of a stadium that just weeks ago housed thousands of Chinese earthquake victims, in celebrations marking the final stages of the global torch relay.
The arrival of the flame in the shattered town of Mianyang seemed to help raise the spirits of quake survivors, and torchbearers said they hoped it would give people courage.
"It's a way to encourage the victims to rebuild. The torch is a symbol of strength and will encourage them to carry on the tenacious struggle," said Hu Lu, 27, a businesswoman and one of the 88 torchbearers.
The flame was carried for an hour around the track of Jiu Zhou stadium, where thousands of earthquake refugees sought shelter after a massive 7.9-magnitude quake struck the western province on May 12, killing almost 70,000.
Until June, refugees crowded the lower floor of the stadium, sleeping on mattresses, blankets and cardboard boxes. The stadium has been completely cleaned up, its entrance decorated with potted plants, flowers and banners to welcome the torch.
In a show preceding the torch relay, dozens of performers in army and nurse uniforms recreated an earthquake rescue, passing a woman playing an injured survivor over their heads in a human chain.
People in the crowd shouted, "No difficulty can beat the spirit of Chinese people."
As in other torch relay venues, 3,000 hand-picked spectators, including students from badly affected areas and military troops, waved Chinese and Olympic flags and shouted "Go China!" and "Go Sichuan!"
After Mianyang, the torch goes to the provincial capital of Chengdu on Tuesday, before heading to Beijing for Friday's opening ceremony of the Olympics. The current segment of the relay had originally been scheduled for mid-June but was postponed because of the earthquake.
"I'm very excited. This is a hard-hit area. During all the aftershocks, people needed hope," said Pan Rongwu, 42, a businessman who transports agricultural products.
"They needed to look ahead. The torch in Mianyang is a type of hope for the future and for rebuilding," Pan said. "We're so glad it's here."
The province has made swift progress since the disaster, which left 5 million homeless.
Reconstruction is well under way, and new routines have been established in temporary settlements that have sprung up across the quake zone.
Mianyang was also the largest urban area directly under threat from Tangjiashan lake, the biggest of 30 lakes created by landslides caused by the quake. The lake is no longer considered dangerous after troops built an emergency sluice system to drain it to safe levels. 