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The sacred flame for the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade was ignited Monday morning in a ceremony held at the Tsinghua University, one of the country’s premiere institutions of higher learning. Wang Rong, vice-president of the Shenzhen Universiade organizing committee, welcomed the the Universiade flame and said that this represents an important moment in Shenzhen’s history, as it is the first time that a large-scale international games are being held in Shenzhen.

The flame will burn during the August 12-23 Universiade, following a torch relay which will start in another famous university in the capital of China, Beijing University, on 4 May which is Chinese Youth Day. Find out more in the CNTV news story Shenzhen Universiade flame lit at Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua University, where the Shenzhen Universiade was lit, is currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding. The university is one of China’s foremost higher learning institutions, and is experiencing reform and progress as it aspires to become one of the highest ranked universities in the world. Find out more in the CNTV news story Tsinghua University marks 100th anniversary.

Kingkey 100, Shenzhen’s tallest building, is nearing completion. Located in Shenzhen’s Luohu District, Kingkey 100 has 100 floors and soars to 441.8 meters, surpassing the neighboring Diwang Building (383.95 meters), the previous city record-holder. Kingkey 100 is the world’s eighth-highest building, and is linked to the KK Mall which opened in November with luxury brand stores, restaurants and Shenzhen’s first IMAX cinema. Read more in Cao Zhen’s Shenzhen Daily article City’s new tallest landmark is 441.8 meters.

Some seven hundred years ago, Christian merchant and traveler Marco Polo, who introduced Europeans to Central Asia, visited Yangzhou of East China’s Jiangsu Province. To commemorate this special envoy, a memorial hall in the name of Marco Polo has opened to the public. Find out more in the CNTV Culture Express Story Memorial hall remembering Marco Polo open to public in Yangzhou.

Shenzhen’s Tianhou Temple, which has a history of over 1,000 years, has reopened after a facelift, reports Zhang Yaobo in the Shenzhen Daily article Temple reopens.

Chinese experts started a restoration project to save a rock carving statue in Southwest China on World Heritage Day, reports CNTV in the news story Restoration of ancient Buddha statue starts. After three years of experiments, a special fibre has been chosen as the perfect element to reconnect the fallen hands of the 1,000 armed Goddess of Mercy Bodhasattva, one of the 4,600 rock carving statues in Dazu county near Chongqing Municipality.