"Olympic torch relay! Saturday May 24^th" announced the local newspaper in huge bold type in the local store. It was early march and I was just starting my second semester as a student of the University of Nanjing. The Beijing Olympics torch relay circus was coming to town and the excitement was already beginning to be generated. The question wasn't if you were going to watch the relay, but rather when and where.

However as the torch began to travel the world, controversy followed it. The impressions of the relay we were receiving from around the globe were completely mixed. One was of Tibet being oppressed by an evil regime, the other of a purposely biased media trying to belittle a rival country.

The Western and Chinese media seemed to be competing for who could be the most extreme in how they report the relay unrest. Personally I felt it was a real shame that the positive influence of the Olympics had been ignored and was worried if the people would greet it with the same enthusiasm as initially.

Of course then on the 12^th May the Sichuan earthquake tragedy happened and the country united behind one cause, contributing to the huge relief effort. We put on a fundraiser charity event shortly after the earthquake and a record total for the University of Nanjing was raised, and without hyperbole I can say that I have never seen such a unified outpouring of grief.

As a result all the legs of the relay afterward took on special meaning for most people. Now the Sichuan leg of the relay has been moved to just before the torch arrives in Beijing, it should prove to be an emotionally charged event.

So in fact the Nanjing wasn't to be on the date that the local newspaper so proudly proclaimed on that day earlier in the year. It was moved to a Tuesday but no one expected anything less than a big turnout.  So we missed class that day and decided to try to go where the relay ended to maybe get a better chance of seeing the torch.

It's over 30°C and the humidity is palpable. Upon leaving my building I see an unprecedented sight on a main road at 8am in the centre of Nanjing, it's eerily empty. But then again, this is no ordinary day.

The pavements are already packed an hour and a half before the torch is due to go past but people are obviously wanting to stake there place for the best view. For most it will be a rare treat of having some time off and certainly, for the majority, will be as close to the actual games as they get. So for what is usually a ten minute walk, it takes me the best part of 45 minutes to get to my chosen destination.

There was an ominous police presence; I've never seen so many uniforms in one space. The message was explicit; this relay must go on uninterrupted. The communist party really does not want anything to ruin this Olympics and this was just another on some of the almost obsessive measures they are taking to ensure it goes ahead without a hitch.

As I walked towards my viewpoint I noticed something that made the event even more special, something that China is trying to change its image with regards to. For the week prior to the relay street merchants had been doing a roaring trade in cheap mass-produced T-shirts and all kinds of merchandise. With slogans such as ‘加油中国'(C'mon China!) and 从此此刻我们都是四川人 (From now on we are all people of Sichuan) emblazoned across them, the sellers made a lot of money that week. But the bonus of this was that everyone was wearing the same thing, adding to the carnival atmosphere.

As we moved through the sea of red, white and gold the crowds got deeper and deeper, and of course louder and louder. I finally came to rest beside a large group of employees from the same bank who, in a very choir-esque manner, had arranged themselves on a wide flight of stairs. The most eccentric man of the group was the self appointed conductor and had his choir in full voice chanting ‘中国加油，北京加油，奥运加油，四川加油'(C'mon China, C'mon Beijing, C'mon Olympics, C'mon Sichuan). At which point he spotted me and beckoned me to join in which of course I couldn't refuse.

During this, like most foreigners there, we were the photographer's favourite and after people saw you didn't mind there were too many flashes to concentrate on. This is perhaps the most surreal thing about China; strangers wanting there photograph with you. It's like being a celebrity although I'm sure celebrities sweat a lot less than I was.

Suddenly a burst of noise could be heard in the distance down the street, everyone's attention turned to the road. Surely the torch couldn't be coming already?

It wasn't. It was merely a security van doing a sweep of the route. The level of noise just for that was a small taste of what was to come. A few minutes passed, people of all kinds were cheering and chanting with fervour. Then another ripple of noise progressed down the street towards us, this time much louder. The audience collectively held their breath as we peered to see what was coming round the corner...

It was the sponsorship trailers. Of course the world's major corporations don't miss a trick when it comes to events of this kind and several brands had their trailers on route with minor celebrities in tow.

Now the atmosphere was reaching boiling point. The audience had been teased and were ready for the main feature now. It wasn't really the noise that made the atmosphere special, it was something else. I've been to some of the biggest stadiums in the world, seen numerous football matches and concerts but have never seen such unbridled excitement in so many people. You could tell that most of these people hadn't experienced anything like this before and may never again, they wanted to enjoy every moment of it.

Then the loudest screams of excitement came from afar, this had to be it.

Everyone surged forward as a wave of noise rolled down the street toward our position. I could hardly breathe as thousands of arms thrust their cameras skyward to try to get their shot of history. It was over within seconds but the experience would last in the memory so much longer.

Incidentally my phone was actually stolen at the point the torch passed while we all had our arms stretched as high as we could.

It was worth it.

Andrew Mellor