The sacred flame of China's 11th National Games was lit at 10:27 a.m. local time atop Mt. Taishan at Tai'an city of East China's Shandong Province on Saturday.

The Organizing Committee of the quadrennial event announced the opening of the flame-lighting ceremony at 10:10 a.m., as six guards escorted China's national flag to the top with the national anthem being played.

A convex lens was placed earlier on a 40-square-meter natural stone platform, about 100 meters below the mountain peak. The palm-sized lens was set at an angle right facing the direction of sunrise.

However, the ignition had to be prolonged as cloud and mist were veiling the holy mountain top in the morning.

Jiang Daming, governor of Shandong province, addressed to collect the fire at 10:23 a.m. after the sunshine was luminous enough.

Wang Feng and Zhang Juanjuan, both 2008 Beijing Olympic champions held the torch, called Ruyi, an S-shaped Chinese traditional room ornament and symbol of good luck, half kneeled in front of the lens.

The flame was lit out of the lens at 10:27 a.m. and the fire was also preserved in a cabinet at the same time.

"Taishan had long been chosen as the venue of a traditional ceremony of ancient China to pray the county to flourish and its people to live in peace," said Feng Jianzhong, vice Minister of the State General Administration of Sport.

Mt. Taishan has been considered the holy mountain because it is to the east, the direction from which the sun rises. Chinese Saint Confucius supposedly visited and a temple has been built there for him.

According to the Organizing Committee, the flame will start a tour around China on August 16 from Beijing Tiananmen Square. Jinan, capital city of Shandong, also the main host city of the 11th National Games will be the last leg for the torch relay.

The National Game of the People's Republic of China, also known as the All China Game, is the country's top national-level sports event. It's usually held every four years.

The 11th Games are due to open on October 16th.

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2009)