The 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay kicked off on May 4th from Sanya on its first leg on China’s mainland.  

At Fire Phoenix Square on Phoenix Island, Yang Yang, Winter Olympic Games short track speed skating gold medalist, was the first to carry the Olympic flame. "I felt both excited and nervous to be the first torchbearer on the Chinese mainland," Yang said.

Yang won gold medals in women's 500m and 1,000m short track speed skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. She won 59 world titles before her retirement in August 2006 at the age of 30. She received a bachelor degree in business administration from Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management in 2007.