Thanks for listening. In this column, Xia Xiao’ao, the Image Ambassador of Xiamen Olympic Museum, will join hands with the volunteers to tell Olympic stories, show the passion of the Olympics and inherit the Olympic spirit. Today, our ambassador of Xiamen Olympic Museum, Lin Chenying, will bring you the story of "auspicious cloud torch of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games".

Hello, I'm Lin Chenying. Review Olympic history and inherit Olympic spirit. This time, we will share the story of auspicious cloud torch of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with you.

The Olympic torch is a portable torch approved by the International Olympic Committee and is the carrier of the Olympic flame. Since the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, each Olympic Games has produced a torch which embodies the cultural characteristics of the host country and meets the high-tech requirements, and has become an important heritage of the Olympic movement.

The torch is 72 centimetres high, weighs 985 grams and is made of aluminium. The torch is of a curved surface form, with etching and anodizing being used during its production. A torch can usually keep burning for approximately 15 minutes in conditions where the flame is 25 to 30 centimetres high in a windless environment. The torch has been produced to withstand winds of up to 65 kilometres per hour and to stay alight in rain up to 50mm an hour. The flame can be identified and photographed in sunshine and areas of extreme brightness. The fuel is propane which is in accordance with environmental guidelines. The material of its form is recyclable.

The torch of the Beijing Olympic Games has a very strong Chinese flavour. It demonstrates the artistic and technical level of China. It also conveys the message of a Green Olympics, a High-tech Olympics and the People’s Olympics. The shape of the paper scroll and the lucky clouds graphic, expresses the idea of harmony. Its stable burning technique and adaptability to the environment have reached a new technical level. The torch of the Beijing Olympic Games is designed, researched and produced in China. BOCOG owns all intellectual property rights.

The fuel used in the torch of Beijing Olympic Games is propane with purity of more than 99%, which is a common fuel with low price. Its main components are carbon and hydrogen. After combustion, there are only carbon dioxide and water. There are no other substances, which will not cause pollution to the environment. In history, the Olympic torch used more mixed fuel. Propane fuel is used to meet the requirements of ambient temperature within the range of torch transmission route. Secondly, the color is also a consideration. The flame after propane combustion is orange, which has better visibility.

Under the concept of a Green Olympics, environmental protection was a key element listed in the invitation documents to the design companies, by BOCOG. The fuel of the torch is propane, which is a common fuel which also comes with a low price. It is composed of carbon and hydrogen. No material, except carbon dioxide and water remain after the burning, eliminating any risk of pollution.

The burning system of the torch is designed by China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation. Its stable burning technique and adaptability to the environment have reached a new technical level. It can stay alight in severe weather conditions such as strong wind, rain, snow, hail, etc. The flame can also be identified in sunshine and areas of extreme brightness so as to satisfy the requirements of capturing photographic images and video footage.

On January 18, 2011, Beijing Olympic Park added a new landscape. The main torch tower of Beijing Olympic Games, which has completed the "moving" construction, officially appeared in the open space on the northeast side of the bird's nest in the same color as during the Olympic Games. The new Olympic torch tower is 31 meters high on the ground and 7.8 meters underground. A champion wall was also built next to the main Olympic torch tower, forming a "torch square" with a total construction area of about 1000 square meters, open to tourists.