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Andy Lau (劉德華), Jacky Cheung (張學友), Kelly Chen (陳慧琳), Leo Ku (古巨基), Eason Chan (陳奕迅) and Alex Fong (方力申) were today among the popstars who took part in the Hong Kong leg of the Olympic torch relay.

Windsurfer Lee Lai Shan (李麗珊), a gold medallist at the 1996 Atlanta Games, started the 120-person relay, which included athletes, officials, businesspeople and celebrities, through rainy streets of the city.

Tens of thousands of spectators lined the route which ran from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, to the Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai.
 

The Hong Kong leg marks the return of the torch to Chinese soil, after a controversial journey which saw vocal, and sometimes violent, protests, over China's human rights record and rule of Tibet, in many cities including Athens, London and San Francisco.

The only tension in Hong Kong came at the start of the route, where police say 52,000 people gathered. Large groups of flag-waving torch supporters shouted insults at pro-Tibet and human rights protesters, forcing them to seek refuge in police vans, according to the Associated Press.

The torch now moves onto Macau, before making its way across mainland China, with the final destination Beijing on 6 August.

credits: batgwa.

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