SANYA, Hainan: Movie stars, sporting icons and a beauty queen added glitz and glamour to the first day of the Olympic torch relay on the Chinese mainland Sunday.

Thunderous applause greeted the torch as kungfu star Jackie Chan and a woman of the local Li ethnic group together brought it to the seaside attraction of "Land's End", at the close.

The torch left Macao and arrived in Sanya on Saturday evening, signaling an end to a month-long, five-continent overseas odyssey. The relay on the mainland covers 113 cities in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions until the Games start on Aug 8.

Yang Yang, China's first-ever Winter Olympics gold medalist, was the first to carry the torch yesterday, while Chan and Pu Huifang, the Li woman, were the last two of the 208 torchbearers in the southernmost city of the tropical island.

Winter Olympics gold medalist Yang Yang runs the first leg of the torch relay yesterday in Sanya, Hainan province. Xinhua

"I believe that people who have cheered me will cheer with the same passion for athletes from around the world," said Yang, the 32-year-old speed skater after running her 200 meters and handing the torch to Bank of China president Li Lihui.

In spite of the scorching sun and the humidity, hundreds of thousands of people swarmed the streets yesterday, most waving national or Olympic flags.

It was also a rare occasion for celebrities such as NBA Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian, actress Zhang Ziyi and Miss World Zhang Zilin, who were among the torchbearers.

"Being an Olympic torchbearer will be an unforgettable experience, but I felt that the 200 meters was so short," said Yi the basketball star after his run.

"It has long been my dream to carry the torch and I have been looking forward to the day for many days," Zhang Ziyi told China Daily on Saturday.

Zhang Zilin said after her run: "As Miss World, I will go on to make more people understand China."