Across a lengthy stretch of the Great Wall, the most famous image of China, ten thousand Chinese are holding torches and scattering into the shape of a dragon, the auspicious symbol of Chinese civilization, to greet the new millennium.

Joyous celebrations are underway in many other historical sites in the Chinese capital at the moment. Fireworks and torches illuminate people's faces, revealing their New Year's enthusiasm.

At 0:03, the first Beijing baby was born at the city's maternity hospital. After thanking her doctors and nurses, the mother turned her attention to her millennium son.

"I'm lucky to have him at the turning point," said the 28-year old woman who works with a fashion company.

According to hospital staff, there were 19 pregnant women whose due date was around the moment when year 2000 dawns, but Zhang Yiming ultimately became the city's newest citizen.

"My best wish for my son is healthy growth," said the father, a male model, adding that children growing up in the new century must have quite a different living environment than his generation.

"I have thought about a good name for my son, that's Zhang Yiming which means first in future," said the excited father, while the baby let out a howl to confirm he was also proud of his time of birth.

The baby is 53 cm tall, 3.9 kg weight and in perfect health, said the staff.

As new babies cry and new parents laugh, millions of Chinese watched the millennium turnover on the Internet. With a few taps on the keyboard, they entered the new year and watched the new

millennium's entrance at the zero hour. Statistics from Sohu, one of the largest Chinese websites, show that about two million people visited the site to see the first rays of sunshine or share New Year's greetings.

Wang Xin, a web designer with Sohu, said that there are eight million internet users in China, most of whom spent New Year's Eve on the net.

This is an unusual new tradition for the Chinese at such a festive occasion, Wang said, adding that with the development of technology, more such changes will take place for the Chinese.

For Zhao Ze, an Shanghai-based engineer, the change took place right at the beginning of the new millennium. Zhao and his wife arrived in Beijing to attend a centenary groupwedding organized by the All-China Women's Federation.

When the New Year's bell strikes, a total of 2,000 newly-married couples nationwide will embrace their new spouses.

At the same time, Pen Jiang, a computer programmer with the China Computer Software and Technology Service Corporation, is hosting a private party in the two-bedroom apartment he moved into at the Huilongguan Living Quarters in the northern suburbs of Beijing.

Attended by a few friends, the party is a combination New Year's-housewarming affair. "The house is a result of rent down payment, said Peng.

Though traffic in urban areas is now constantly clogged, a number of bus lines will be open for late night New Year's revelers. A subway line with underground tunnels and on-ground tracks is under construction.

"It's a coincidence that the subway connects the quarter and my company at Xizhimen in the western urban area," Peng said with satisfaction.

At the subway's construction site near Peng's house, thousands of workers are still busy building the 40 km long subway, the country's first of its kind. At a cost of six billion yuan (723 million US dollars), the subway will go into operation in 2001.

In recent years, living in suburbs has become more and more popular among Beijing citizens, especially young people, Peng said.

For those living in urban areas of the city, the New Year's holiday offered them a 24-hour shopping day by most major department stores.

While they are deciding what will be their first purchase in the new year, groups of foreigners are visiting ancient architectural sites in the city on tricycle.