The Olympic torch relay has begun its three-day journey in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Wednesday, with its first stop in the city of Yan'an.

The first torchbearer was 93-year-old Red Army veteran Liu Tianyou. Altogether 208 torch bearers attended the event along a six-kilometer route.

Jia Fuqing is one of them.

"Faster, higher, stronger, the Olympic spirits will always be an inspiration for us."

Dubbed the "Cradle of Revolution", Yan'an is an important revolutionary city in China. It was the country's military headquarters during the Chinese Anti-Japanese War and China's War of Liberation, as well as the former location of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Olympic torch will be carried through two cities in Shaanxi on Thursday, namely: Yangling and Xianyang.