中国把奥运圣火带上珠峰
中国成功地达成它引起争议的目标，在珠穆朗玛峰点燃奥运圣火。
在当地时间上午9点18分，藏人次仁旺姆（Tsering Wangmu）完成了前所未有的、覆盖登顶最后30码的小型传递。中国国家电视台播出的现场画面显示她在强风之中喘气。
在离顶部30码处，圣火点燃了特别为抵御低氧和强风环境而设计的火炬。然后经过五双手的传递——其中三个是藏人，两个是汉人，象征中国的民族“团结”，次仁旺姆接最后一棒。
可以看到队员在高喊“我们在世界之巅”以及“同一个世界，同一个梦想”。当她到达顶峰时，他们展开写着“欢迎全世界来北京奥运会”的横幅，高呼“西藏万岁，北京万岁。”
中国政府希望这个画面将消除关于亲藏独示威者在伦敦、巴黎和旧金山破坏火炬传递的记忆。但自由西藏运动家谴责让火炬登上珠峰以及经过西藏的意图是傲慢的举动，是殖民象征。
攀登巅峰的行动因恶劣天气而推迟，而且笼罩着神秘。获准报道的记者也要从大本营附近一个专门建造的舱体报道。
在最后突击以前，公众都被蒙在鼓里，对此，总指挥李志新（Li Zhixin）表示歉意。“我们别无选择。”“我可以告诉你，那里仍然有人试图干扰。”“我们的队员发现了他们的踪迹，并看到他们的灯光。”（作者 Richard Spencer）
英文原文：At 9.18am local time, Tsering Wangmu, a Tibetan, completed an unprecedented mini-relay that covered the last 30 yards.
Live pictures broadcast on Chinese state television showed her heavily wrapped against strong winds and gasping for breath.
When the flame was 30 yards from the top, a specially designed torch, engineered to withstand the low-oxygen conditions and high winds, was lit.
It then passed through five pairs of hands – three Tibetan and two Han Chinese, to symbolise the Chinese nation's "unity" – culminating in Tsering Wangmu's.
Members of the team were seen shouting "We are on top of the world" and "One World, One Dream", the official slogan of the Beijing Olympics.
When she reached the top, they unfurled a banner saying: "Welcome the whole world to this great Beijing Olympic Games" and shouted: "Long live Tibet. Long live Beijing."
The Chinese government will hope that the image will banish the memory of the pro-Tibet protesters who disrupted earlier legs of the tour in London, Paris and San Francisco.
But the very attempt to take the torch up Everest and through Tibet had been condemned as an act of hubris and symbolic colonialism by free-Tibet campaigners.
The climb to the top of the 29,028ft mountain was delayed by bad weather and shrouded in some secrecy even from the select group of journalists allowed to cover it from a specially constructed cabin near base camp.
Li Zhixin, the commander of the expedition, apologised for keeping the public in the dark until after the final assault began.
"We didn't have any choice," he said.
"I can tell you there are people still out there trying to interfere with the event.
"Our climbing torch bearers found their tracks and saw their lights up there on our routes."
He did not explain further.