A fresh 6.1-magnitude aftershock jolted Sichuan two days before the relay, injuring more than 300 people. However, the relay was held according to plan.

Leshan and the provincial capital Chengdu will also host the relay. Many of those displaced by the earthquake are expected to watch it.

"I was so moved to see on TV a slogan saying 'Salute the people in the disaster areas' on the roadside of the relay route," said Wang Zhengyou, a Sichuan farmer who lost his land and house in the earthquake.

"It's inspiring to see the torch touring in my hometown," he said.

Millions of homeless people like Wang are moving from tents to temporary houses. The local government has vowed to provide shelters to all tent dwellers by August 12.

Two torchbearers bow towards the bronze statue of China's late leader Deng Xiaoping during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games torch relay in Guang'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, August 3, 2008. [Xinhua]