Olympic torch relay resumes

AP ©

The Olympic torch resumed its journey through China after a three-day mourning period for victims of the earthquake that killed more than 40,000.

The torch relay resumed at a container port in eastern China's seaport city of Ningbo, travelling through the city and across the Hangzhou Bay bridge to Jiaxing. Later in the day it was to be moved by vehicle to the country's commercial centre of Shanghai.

A ceremony that included a minute's silence for the victims and the millions of people left homeless was held on Thursday morning on a dock under a giant crane used to lift containers on ships.

The crew of the MSC Rita watched from their ship, which blew its horn when the ceremony was over. Flags, which had been at half-staff during the mourning period, were fluttering in the wind.

So far, the torch has had a smooth relay in mainland China, uninterrupted by the protests over Tibet and human rights that dogged parts of its international tour.

But organisers scaled down the celebratory, triumphant tone of the relay after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck central China on May 12, flattening entire communities.

Corporate sponsors such as Coca-Cola and Chinese computer maker Lenovo were also back displaying their logos.

The torch relay last stopped in Hangzhou, a scenic city to the west of Ningbo. Organisers combined two days of events in Ningbo and Jiaxing, saving one day, but it was unclear exactly how its route through the rest of China will be adjusted to make up for the delay this week.

China's leadership has sought to use the Olympics, which begin on August 8 in Beijing, to showcase the country's achievements and rally national unity.

The torch relay, which has travelled to all corners of the globe and to the top of Mount Everest, has played a crucial role in the buildup to the Games.

Organisers initially resisted changes in the relay, which corporate sponsors have paid millions of dollars to fund.

But public pressure for a moratorium on the event, mainly seen on Chinese-language websites and blogs, prompted organisers to adjust details of the relay. Some legs of the run were shortened and donations for victims have been collected along the way.

The torch was to remain in Shanghai on Friday and Saturday and then travel on to neighbouring Jiangsu province. It is due to arrive June 13 in the sprawling Yangtze-river city of Chongqing and enter neighbouring Sichuan province, site of the quake's epicentre, two days later.

It is not known if that schedule will stay the same.

The torch returns to Beijing on August 6, two days before the opening ceremony.

During the three-day national mourning period, flags were flying at half-mast and entertainment events have been cancelled. Television networks were running only news programs and newspaper mastheads ran in black and white without the usual red highlights.

Authorities have reported more than 40,000 dead, with at least 10,000 more deaths likely and 32,000 people missing from the disaster.