9 June 2004 - A grand ceremony for the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay in Beijing was held at 9:00 today in the Chinese capital. The sacred flame was ignited 15 minutes later by Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the relay commenced from the east gate of the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

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