Australia Beijing
Olympic Torch Relay
24 April 2008

About twenty thousand Chinese students and
Australian-Chinese had waited all night in the cold for
the Beijing Olympic Torch relay that started at 8.45am
today. Majority of them had travelled to Australian
capital Caberra from Sydney and Melbourne, with some
coming from the cities as far as Bristan, Perth and even
Tasmania.

"The local hotels are all full, many
people can't find a bed to sleep, neither can we, so we
just sit around waiting for the torch relay to
begin," A Chinese student reportedly told the
journalist who interveiwed people sitting along the relay
route in chilly darkness.
Some of the Chinese torch cheers have
lived in Australia for generations, and others came to
welcome the sacred fire with their entire family,
inlcuding elderly and small kids.

At 6am in the early morning of 24 April,
an open ceremony began which was flavered with smoke
ritual, Austarlia national anthem singing by 500 people -
the first time in Australia - as well as Australian
Aboriginea and Chinese folk chance performances.
Caberra is a sister city with Beijing, and
Australians, having successfully hosted Sydney 2000
Olympics, play an important role in helping Chinese
shaping the Beijing Olympic event.

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Proud Tania Major
2007 Young
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Mania Major is the first torchbearer on
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Aussie
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torch relay down under
Peace
Vs
Violence

Young
Australians and Chinese cheer together

A
violent pro-Tibetan Indepence woman has
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