The flame will travel on Friday to the ancient capital Xian, now the modern capital of north western Shaanxi province, before heading to the southern industrial hub of Shenzhen in coastal Guangzhou province on Saturday.
International Olympic Committee President, Philip Craven, told Reuters: "This flame will symbolise over the next 10 days the unique sports spirit portrayed by Paralympic athletes. The spirit overcomes many obstacles in the pursuit of sporting excellence".
China is reportedly mobilising 350,000 people to boost spectator figures and liven up the atmosphere for the Paralympics. The 'cheerleaders' would reportedly be required to watch track and field and other events, while increasing spectator numbers and adding atmosphere.
The Beijing Times website reports only one third of the tickets for the September 6-17 Paralympics have been sold so far.
