The Olympic torch relay in southern China's Guangdong Province concluded on Saturday after finishing its tour in Shantou city.

The launching ceremony overcame a rainstorm in the morning and the relay covered a course of 36 kilometers. It traversed landmark buildings in the city, such as the Golden Bay Bridge and the training base of the Chinese diving team.

Among the 208 torch bearers, 22 are world champions, including Cai Yanshu in weightlifting and Sun Shuwei, who won China's first diving gold medal in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

As the hometown for many overseas Chinese, Shantou has lured a large number of them back to cheer for the torch relay.

73-year-old Chen Hanshi is one of them. He has been living in Thailand for decades. This time he is a torch bearer in his hometown.

''Being a torchbearer for my hometown is a great honor and I'm very excited. My family is also coming back with me, and we all feel thrilled to experience such a fantastic moment.''

The Olympic flame leaves for Fuzhou on Saturday night. Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian province in Southeastern China. Torch bearers there are doing their final rehearsal for the relay on Sunday.