About one million people joined thousands of activities in Beijing on Tuesday to mark the two-year countdown to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games.

 

The Chinese capital organized 4,905 separate events in parks and other open spaces across the city.

 

Scores of women clad in white silk practicing shadow boxing in Longtan Park, and groups of elderly men and women wearing athletics clothes in front of the Olympic countdown clock in Tiananmen Square.

 

Organizers have been hailing mass participation a distinguishing feature of the Beijing Games, which will take place from August 8-24, 2008.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2006)