Zheng Wentai, 62, the first torchbearer in Xinglong, Wanning, Hainan province, is surrounded by youngsters trying to get a close look at the Olympic torch.

On the eastern coast of Hainan Island is a farm that holds a special place in China's history.

The Overseas Chinese Farm, in Xinglong county of Wanning, was built in the early 1960s to accommodate people returning to the motherland at the call of Chairman Mao. The returnees were from all walks of life, with some of them having worked on tropical farms in Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries.

Today, there are about 20,000 people from 21 countries and regions living on the farm; and 62-year-old Zheng Wentai is one of them.

The first torchbearer Zheng Wentai runs with the Olympic torch during the torch relay in Wanning of south China's Hainan province, May 5, 2008.

The only son of a Chinese property developer based in Indonesia, Zheng returned to China alone in 1960, at age 14. He said he was determined to help with the development of his country of origin.

Forty-eight years later, Zheng, as a respected member of the farming community, was one of the first people chosen by the Olympic organizers to carry the torch in Wanning.

And yesterday, tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Xinglong in the city to cheer him on as he ran the first leg of the relay.

"My life has turned out to be more colorful than those of my teenage friends I left in Indonesia. I have grown up as China has grown up, and I have shared both its sweet and bitter moments," Zheng told China Daily.

After returning to China, he studied at the newly established Chinese Language School for Overseas Returnees in Beijing and later at the University for Overseas Chinese in Quanzhou, Fujian province. After graduating with a degree in tropical botany in 1964, he volunteered to work as a scientist on the farm in Xinglong.

Despite its distance from Beijing, the farm was affected by the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), and in 1971, Zheng decided to leave. He went to the University of Hong Kong, studied architecture, and later joined the family real estate business.

But when China opened its doors to the rest of the world in 1978, Zheng got back in touch with his friends on the farm and kept a close eye on its development.

In 1984, he returned to it after the local government invited the now successful landscape designer and businessman to help draw up the blueprint for the development of the region's tourism industry.

"I could hardly hold back my emotions as the car arrived in Xinglong. All the memories came back to me," he said.

Later in 1984, Zheng helped to build a botanical garden in Xinglong, beside the farm.

"I thought it would be a great attraction for tourists and also help stop the ecological deterioration of the area," he said.

Today, the Xinglong Tropical Garden is home to more than 3,400 species of plants, 65 of which are endangered, and botanists from both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Museum of Natural History in the US have been involved in its development.

Zheng still lives on the farm, although he has business concerns in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore. In his free time, he likes to watch NBA matches and is a fan of China's Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian.

Prior to running his relay leg yesterday, he said he had trained for two months because "it would be a big shame if I look clumsy with the torch is in my hand".

(China Daily May 6, 2008)