YANJI, Jilin: Heavy rain delayed the start of the Olympic torch relay here yesterday in the capital of the Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture, Jilin province.

As a result of the downpour, the event, which had been scheduled for a morning start, was held back until 2 pm and got under way amid a light drizzle.

Umbrellas were ubiquitous among the crowds, but the wet weather did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands of spectators or the teams of performers who put on a display of traditional Korean dancing.

Situated at the juncture of three countries - China, Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Yanji has more ethnic Koreans (58 percent of its population) than any other city in China.

Fifty-three of yesterday's 188 torchbearers were ethnic Koreans. One of them, Jin Guangzhen, a national model policeman, ran the opening leg from Yanbian University, while former world chess champion Xie Jun ran the final leg and lit the cauldron to mark the end of the relay in Jinlin.

Although Xie's parents hail from Jilin, she said yesterday was the first time she had visited Yanji.

"I was very impressed by the mix of culture and customs here," the 38-year-old grandmaster said.

"It started when I got on the plane, and I heard a boy talking to his parents in both Chinese and Korean," she said.

Yesterday was Xie's second time as a torchbearer: She also carried the flame for the Doha Asian Games in 2006.

"I regard the honor of being a torchbearer as recognition of the achievements we Chinese professional chess players have made over the past three decades," Xie, who is the coach of the national women's chess team, said.

"When I started playing chess at the age of 6, few people in China knew about the game, let alone competing in the international arena."

Over the years, however, the popularity of the esoteric strategy game has grown steadily in China, and the country's grandmasters now rank among the world's best.

Although chess has never been an Olympic event, Xie said she is still looking forward to next month's Games.

"The Olympics is not just a sports event," she said.

"It is also a celebration of the Olympic spirit, the joy of participation and about striving for higher, faster, stronger for every sportsman and every person on Earth."

Today's Olympic torch relay will be held in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province.