Olympic torch relay resumes after mourning period

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Ningbo (China), May 22: : The Olympic torch resumed its journey through China after a minute of silence on Thursday and a three-day mourning period for victims of the earthquake that killed more than 40,000.

The torch relay resumed at a container port in eastern China's seaport city of Ningbo, traveling through the city and across the Hangzhou Bay bridge to Jiaxing. Later on Thursday it was to be moved by vehicle to the country's commercial center of Shanghai.

A ceremony that included a minute of silence for the victims and the millions of people left homeless was held on a dock under a giant crane used to lift containers on ships.

The crew of the MSC Rita watched from their ship, which blew its horn when the ceremony was over. Flags, which had been at half-staff during the mourning period, were fluttering in the wind.

So far, the torch has had a smooth relay in mainland China, uninterrupted by the protests over Tibet and human rights that dogged parts of its international tour.

But organisers scaled down the celebratory, triumphant tone of the relay after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck central China on May 12, flattening entire communities.

Corporate sponsors such as Coca-Cola and Chinese computer maker Lenovo Corp were also back displaying their logos on Thursday.

The torch relay last stopped in Hangzhou, a scenic city to the west of Ningbo. Organisers combined two days of vents in Ningbo and Jiaxing, saving one day, but it was unclear exactly how its route through the rest of China will be adjusted to make up for the delay this week.