2:20am UK, Wednesday August 06, 2008

The Olympic torch has been greeted by thousands of spectators as it finally arrived in Beijing two days before the start of the Games.

Yao Ming carries the Olympic flame into central Beijing

The arrival of the torch follows the longest route ever taken by an Olympic flame and one that was marked by sometimes violent protests.

The torch will tour Beijing for three days before ending up at Friday’s opening ceremony for the Games.

It is being carried by celebrities including China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei, film director Zhang Yimou and basketball superstar Yao Ming.

“I’m very happy to be here,” said Yang, China’s first astronaut to fly into space, before the relay kicked off from the Forbidden City, home of China’s emperors since the 15th century in the Ming Dynasty.

“That the torch is finally in Beijing is a realisation of a dream we’ve had for a hundred years.”

China Pollution Levels

Sky News has been testing the level of air pollution in Beijing ahead of the Olympic Games and comparing it to UK cities. The results are:
















Great Wall of China outside Beijing	332 micrograms per metre cubed
London	50 μg/m3
Glasgow	16 μg/m3
Leeds	15 μg/m3

The UK figures are the latest available from Defra.

Overseas, the torch relay was disrupted by protests or conducted under extremely heavy security, turning an event that should have built up excitement for the Games into something of a public relations disaster for the hosts.

It started its route in Greece on March 24.

The protests have mostly been in response to China’s crackdown in March on anti-government riots in Tibet and to more general concerns over human rights issues in China.

The torch arrived in the capital after an emotional run in Sichuan province, the site of China’s May 12 earthquake which killed almost 70,000 people and left some five million homeless.

A huge stage was set up at the Forbidden City’s Meridian Gate for lion dancers and other traditional dance performances.

Despite the heat, thousands of people lined Chang An Avenue, which runs through the heart of Beijing, to cheer on the torchbearers.