China's torch relay has moved on to the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, on the second day of its journey through the mainly Muslim Xinjiang region.
The Xinjiang leg is a highly sensitive part of the torch's relay. Relations between the Chinese authorities and the Muslim Uighur people are tense.
Officials fear separatists may target the relay but the torch's run through Xinjiang's capital Urumqi was calm.
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Many Uighurs resent the large-scale influx of Han Chinese settlers into the resource-rich region, and some groups are fighting to establish an independent Islamic nation, which has led to periodic violence in Xinjiang.
Beijing accuses the groups of links to al-Qaeda and claims this year to have foiled at least two Xinjiang-based plots targeting the Olympic Games.
But human rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of using the alleged terror links as a way of cracking down on the independence movement.
The torch's visit to another potential hotspot, Tibet's main city, Lhasa, has also been moved forward in an attempt to avoid disruption.
Residents indoors
In Urumqi, very tight security was put in place ahead of the relay. Police carried out vehicle checks and set up checkpoints in the normally busy city.
Local residents who live and work along the route of the torch relay were instructed to stay inside, keep well away from their windows and watch the proceedings on television, the BBC's James Reynolds reports from Urumqi.
Our correspondent saw a handful of people daring to look out of the window in one office block, but every other window was empty.
People entering People's Square - where the relay began - had to pass through metal detectors while police searched their bags.
The majority of the crowd there were Han Chinese, and they waved flags of support, chanting "Go, China!" and "Go, Olympics!"
Kashgar flashpoint?
The flame's passage through the city was peaceful, but the danger of disruption to the Xinjiang leg has not passed.
After the torch's run through the Silk Road oasis city of Kashgar, it moves on to the cities of Shihezi and Changji on Thursday, before progressing to Tibet for a relay in Lhasa on Saturday.
Kashgar is under tight security for the event. Soldiers and fire fighters are reportedly patrolling the main square.
The city is seen as one of the main Islamic centres in the region - more so than Urumqi.
Are you in Urumqi or Kashgar? Did you witness the torch relay in Urumqi? Will you be attending the procession in Kashgar? Send us your comments and experiences.
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(BBC)
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