A huge countdown board for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games has started running at the Tiananmen Square in Beijing, with over 1,400 days remaining for the Games in August 2008.

After a brief ceremony, the electronic clock started ticking at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening in front of the National Museum, China Radio International reported Wednesday.

The steel structure board is 14 meters high and five and a half meters wide. It will operate for more than 100-thousand hours.

The board features the 2008 Olympic emblem, "Chinese seal─dancing Beijing".

(CRI September 22, 2004)