Yesterday was a special day for Beijing - the Olympic torch, after a four-month journey through various home provinces and countries abroad, began its final leg from the Forbidden City.

The relay covered 16.4 km through seven districts, passing landmarks such as Tian'anmen Square, the egg-shaped National Center for the Performing Arts, and Qianmen, the front gate of old Beijing city.

The relay ended about four hours later at another historical landmark, the Temple of Heaven.