Exhibition held in China's Tianjin to commemorate Scottish legendary runner Liddell

TIANJIN, China, June 1 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition to commemorate the Scottish legendary athlete Eric Liddell, who was born in China's Tianjin in 1902, was held here on Saturday.

The event was jointly held by the Scottish government office in China, the Foreign Affairs Office of Tianjin Municipal Government and the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Sports.

Liddell participated in the 1924 Paris Olympics and won the men's 400-meter race. At the peak of his athletic career, he returned to China and became a chemistry and physical education teacher at the Anglo-Chinese Christian College, which has become the No. 17 Middle School of Tianjin now. In 1943, Liddell was interned by the Japanese troops, and he died two years later in a camp in Weifang of Shandong Province due to a brain tumor.

The film "Chariots of Fire," an Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay, was adapted from Liddell's life.

The memorial exhibition, held at the Tianjin Sports Museum, showcased the life and achievements of Liddell. Catriona Radcliffe, head of the Scottish government office in China, donated replicas related to Liddell on behalf of Scotland and unveiled a memorial plaque for Liddell together with Li Shan, deputy director of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Sports.

"We refer to Eric Liddell as a Scottish hero and a Scottish icon. We call him "flying Scotsman". Not only was he a great sportsman, and he had a really positive outlook on life. His compassion, integrity and passion are the values that we can hold dear today and close to us whether in China or Scotland. That's what made him such a great legend and why we still remember him today," Radcliffe said.

"It helps us remember that the connection between the people in China and the people in Scotland is so important. The China-Scotland connection and those values ring true wherever you are in China, in Scotland or wherever in the world," Radcliffe added.