Hot air balloons, roller blading flag waving youngsters, naval ships, countless camera crews, army trucks with cheering locals and seemingly thousands of students lined the streets Tuesday at the crack of dawn to give a joyous welcome to the Olympic Torch arrival to Haikou city, capital of Hainan province, South China.

Flag bearing windsurfer welcomes the Olympic torch to Haikou's West Coast beach, May 6, 2008.  [chinadaily.com.cn/Brendan John Worrell]

By 7:30 am the temperature was already well into the high 20's when Chen Ci, secretary of the CPC Haikou municipal committee, formally opened the Olympic Torch Relay passing the flame to Wang Lifang. Wang is a windsurfer and an appropriate choice for the city which is the base for the Chinese Olympic Windsurfing team.

After leaving the opening proceedings at Haikou's West Coast beach, supported by thousands of local and foreign guests, the torch made its way via the coastal boulevarde, Binhai Road before curling its way dowtown through the green tropical city of Haikou. A carnival atmosphere was in the air as the city turned out in force to show their support for the games.