An American watches the Olympic flame as he runs with the Beijing Olympic torch during its relay in Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, June 24, 2008. [Xinhua]

Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, is the last stop of the torch relay's 3-day leg in this vast, multi-ethnic northwest province. The flame then travels to Shanxi province.

Thousands of young students and local residents came to the Central Square where the relay starts up early in the morning, holding a forest of the five star red flags and Beijing Olympic flags as well as a lower boscage of umbrellas.