The Beijing Olympic flame will arrive in Shenzhen on May 8 for a 40-kilometer tour of the city carried by a total of 208 torchbearers.

The relay route was published by the Nanfang Daily yesterday. The Shenzhen leg will set off from the Citizens'Center in Futian District heading westward and then return eastward before ending at Shenzhen Stadium in Futian District, according to the planned route, which the newspaper said was subject to change.

The trip will take the flame to city landmarks and well-known tourist attractions, which will include the Trailblazing Ox sculpture in front of the old city government complex, Window of the World, Mangrove Nature Reserve, Diwang Mansion and the Deng Xiaoping portrait near the Shenzhen Grand Theater.

Yangge dancers and drummers will perform along the route to cheer the runners on.

Shenzhen Vice Mayor Liang Daoxing will be the first to carry the torch while Wang Qihong, coach of Shenzhen?s athletics team, will run the final stage carrying the flame to Shenzhen Stadium. The other runners comprise athletes, public servants, managers, security guards and expats, selected by the Shenzhen and provincial governments and event sponsors.

Guangdong Province will host the second leg of the mainland relay which will make its first stop in China in Sanya, Hainan Province, on May 4.

The torch will travel to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huizhou and Shantou before it is passed on to Fujian Province.

Editor: Yan