Torchbearer, retired badminton player Ji Xinpeng lights the cauldron at the celebration ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province yesterday. - Xinhua

The Olympic torch was relayed through scenic Xiamen, the third stop in China's southeast province at 14:03 pm and concluded 17:15 pm local time yesterday.

Guo Yuehua, former table tennis world champion ran the first leg at a seaside launching ceremony, while Olympic badminton champion Ji Xinpeng, the final leg.

The Xiamen relay route covered 17.4 kilometers, with 100 torchbearers carrying the flame along palm tree-lined roads looking out over the Sea.

The relay started on Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center, passing a number of renown scenic spot including Huandao Road, Yanwu Bridge, Gulangyu Island, Yundang Lake, Egret Park, which highlighted Xiamen's seaside landscape and harmonious living environment.

Spectators flocked into the street and awaited the arrival of the Olympic flame, waved national flags and Olympic flags. Amid cheers and jubilance from the rapturous crowd, the torch reached the destination Xiamen Sports Center.

Guo, honored to be the first torchbearer, is a world-famous table tennis player with eight successive world titles.

"I'm proud of our country and also proud of the great achievement that several generations of Chinese athletes made with their passion and sweat in the past decades," the 52-year-old Guo said.

Xiamen, located on the south-eastern coast of Fujian, is one of China's five special economic zones, and a rapid developing city in the province. It has long since enjoyed its soubriquet of the "Garden on the Sea", known for its clean air, tidiness and comfortable living environment.

In 2004, the city was awarded the "UN Habitat Scroll of Honour" as one of "the best places to live".