Shanghai held a scaled-down torch run yesterday out of respect for earthquake victims. But tens of thousands of people still lined the streets of the commercial capital to catch a glimpse of the procession. Shanghai held the torch run after Zhejiang province resumed the relay following three days of official mourning this week. Organisers picked four people involved with relief work as torch-bearers and held a minute's silence for earthquake victims before the relay began in People's Square in the heart of the city yesterday morning. The four included Sun Yuli, a doctor at the Shanghai Centre for Disease Control, whose husband - also a doctor - is working in the disaster zone. She told Shanghai media that she was waiting to go to Sichuan to help with the relief effort after carrying the torch. 'The torch symbolises that we are sending love, confidence and power to the residents in the disaster area,' she said. 'I want to tell them that our hearts will be with them and we will also come to them to help.' The city's fire chief, Chen Fei, who headed a rescue team in Yingxiu, also took part in the relay, as did soldier Yu Qian and engineer Bu Zhiyong, who both helped fix communications. Some have called for the relay to be shortened or even scrapped in light of the disaster. Organisers have changed the timing for the Sichuan leg and shortened it by one day, but have otherwise vowed to press on. 'Faced with the powerful earthquake, the Chinese people will definitely be stronger, conquer the disaster and rebuild a beautiful homeland,' said Meng Hongwei , a member of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and a vice-minister of public security. The torch heads to Jiangsu province today.
