Miles of smiles while flame lights way

Torch relay reaches Beijing ahead of opening ceremony

The second day of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic torch relay kicked off on Thursday at the civic square in downtown Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, with 18 torchbearers running the 1.4-kilometer route.

This section of the relay was led by Ding Yukun, 40, who held the torch up high with a big smile on her face.

Ding is the director of a social services center in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, that helps persons with disabilities equip themselves with practical skills.

Despite being diagnosed with congenital spina bifida at birth, Ding has always pushed herself to make a difference.

"Our center encourages persons with disabilities to realize their full potential by learning skills such as e-commerce and graphic design," she said.

The Paralympic Torch traveled four legs in Zhangjiakou on Thursday morning, starting at the civic square, passing through Thaiwoo Ski Resort and Nuanquan town in Yuxian county, before ending at Guanting Reservoir National Wetland Park in Huailai county.

According to organizers, the route was designed to show Chinese people's grassroots enthusiasm for ice and snow sports, and China's achievements in developing its winter sports industry.

Jiang Xiupeng, a project manager at China Railway Construction Engineering Group, was among the torchbearers. Jiang and his colleagues contributed to the construction of the National Ski Jumping Centre and the National Cross-Country Skiing Centre among other winter sports venues.

He said his team had spent four years working in Zhangjiakou's Chongli district building the Winter Olympic and Paralympic venues.

"I hope that the spirit of craftsmanship we used in constructing these venues can be carried on to the future just like the flame," Jiang said.

Another torchbearer on the Thaiwoo Ski Resort leg was China's retired four-time Paralympic table tennis gold medalist Ge Yang.

This was the third time the 37-year-old has been a torchbearer, after taking part in the torch relays for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Para Games.

After his retirement, he launched a public welfare foundation to provide more young sports talents with disabilities an opportunity to undertake professional, systematic training, particularly in table tennis.

"I hope that being a part of the torch relay for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics can show my determination in devoting myself to pushing forward the development of sports in China," Ge said. "I'd also like to call for a stronger combination of sports training and education to cultivate more sports talents among the future generations."

On Thursday afternoon, the torch relay left Zhangjiakou and was transferred to the International Horticultural Expo Park in Yanqing district before arriving at the Olympic Forest South Park inside the closed loop where over 20 torchbearers from the International Paralympic Committee were ready to receive the torch.