A relay race launched by Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province to welcome the 19th Asian Games concludes in the coastal county of Xiangshan on April 27. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

A relay race launched by Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province to welcome the 19th Asian Games ended in the coastal county of Xiangshan on April 27.

A co-host of the Games, Ningbo kicked off the relay race on April 20 to welcome the global sporting showpiece which will take place this September.

The race started from the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center and passed by a number of landmarks like Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Tianyi Pavilion and Sanjiangkou before ending at the Xiangshan Damu Bay Asian Games Theme Park.

About 15,000 people, including over 1,000 expats living in Ningbo, took part in the eight-day event which comprised 100 sections involving 100 residential communities and villages across the city, according to the organizing committee.

Last December, Ningbo was awarded the commemorative "City of Olympic Champions" trophy by the Chinese Olympic Committee in recognition of its outstanding contributions to the nation's sporting development.

This September, its coastal county of Xiangshan will host the sailing and beach volleyball competitions of the Asian Games.