NANJING: This is the city where I was born and raised, and I have known my whole life how zealous residents are about all things new.

My parents, for example, would think nothing of driving eight hours to and fro another city just to eat fish or goose or any other dish in vogue at the time.

A full stomach and a satisfied curiosity has always been worth the effort to them.

And none of their neighbors considers them crazy because such adventure is common in this ancient city.

Yesterday the passion of my home city came to the fore when the Olympic torch relay passed through.

The number of people lining the streets far exceeded my expectations, as well as that of the organizers.

Hundreds of thousands of people jammed together in and on streets, alleys, balconies, roofs and wall tops to greet the Olympic flame in the city that has served as the national capital during six different periods.

Each of the 208 torchbearers ran about 62 m over a total distance of 12.9 km.

"We saw only the flame flickering because it was held high in the air, and we didn't even know if the torchbearer was a man or a woman," Wang Qinghu, a local high school teacher who brought his wife and 7-year-old son along, said.

Although the family of three arrived at the gate of the downtown Drum Tower Park at 6:30 am to find a space for the 11 am closing ceremony, the park was already filled with people and they couldn't get in.

"I tried hard to get in with the child on my shoulders, but there was virtually no space for an extra pair of feet in the park," Wang said.

The family was forced to wait outside to watch the torchbearers, and when they finally arrived Wang held his son high in the air for a better view.

However, the competition in the air was as fierce as on the ground, with hundreds of other children and women also stretching atop men's shoulders.

Wang's son ended up seeing nothing else but the flame.

"I didn't see much either and neither did 99 percent, I think, of the people around me," Wang said. "And we all arrived before 7 am."

Because of the bustle not despite it, it was encouraging to see so many people sharing my passion as a Nanjing ren (person).

My only regret, however, is that I didn't have a man to use as a viewing platform.

(China Daily 05/28/2008 page7)