(JINAN, July 23) -- A total of 243 torchbearers, including a number of Olympic and world champions, completed the Jinan leg of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23.

This also marks the end of the relay in Shandong Province, where runners passed through Qingdao, Linyi, Qufu, Taian and Jinan in three days.

This afternoon, the flame escort team will head for Henan Province to start the "Journey of Harmony" in the capital city, Zhengzhou, on Friday.

The sacred flame began its trip in the capital city of eastern China's Shandong Province at about 8:00 a.m. with celebrated ex-basketball player Gong Xiaobin. Xing Huina, Lin Weining, Wu Minxia, Qiao Yunping, Gao Jianmin and other sportsmen who have achieved excellent results at Olympic Games and world championships also took part in the relay, which ended with famous divers Guo Jingjing and Wang Feng lighting the flame cauldron.

Jinan, a city of 6 million residents, welcomed the torchbearers with a festive atmosphere on Wednesday. The 13.5km route from Shangdong Provincial Stadium Square to Qilu Software Park, was filled with dancing spectators and decorated with large posters, banners, slogans and balloons. The route featured areas of cultural relics, scenic spots, and economic areas, as well as the Olympic Sports Center Stadium, the main stadium for the 11th National Games in 2009.

A well-known cultural and historical city with an area of 8,177 square meters, Jinan is a political, economic, cultural, scientific, educational and financial center of the province.