By WILLIAM FOREMAN Associated Press Writer
HONG KONG May 2, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Hong Kong's near flawless Olympic torch relay Friday might help ease Beijing's suspicions that the former British colony doesn't love the Chinese motherland enough.
Hong Kong singer-actor Eason Chan runs with the Olympic torch at Shatin Racecourse in Hong Kong...

Hong Kong singer-actor Eason Chan runs with the Olympic torch at Shatin Racecourse in Hong Kong Friday, May 2, 2008. Friday's torch relay through canyons of skyscrapers is expected to be a big challenge for Hong Kong's leaders and police. The torch is finally back on Chinese soil, and Beijing doesn't want a repeat of the protests and chaos that dogged the flame during its 20-nation overseas tour.

(Kin Cheung/AP Photo)
Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents dressed in red — the Communist Party's favorite color — lined the streets and cheered during the flame's tour through this bastion of capitalism.
There were no massive protests demanding more democracy in the city that Britain handed back to China 11 years ago. Human rights groups and pro-Tibet activists didn't try to block the relay, as others have during the flame's overseas odyssey in 20 nations.
Instead, for many in Hong Kong, it was a day to celebrate and be proud to be Chinese. Many carried Chinese flags or wore big red stickers on their shirts saying, "Go China!"
After the relay, Hong Kong's No. 2 leader, Henry Tang, praised the turnout of more than 100,000, saying people created an "ocean of red that has washed over Hong Kong."