A flight carrying the flame for the Chengdu FISU World University Games flew to Beijing from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province on Thursday. /CFP

The torch relay ceremony will be held on Saturday in Beijing, with the flame traveling to cities including Harbin, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Yibin across the country. /CFP

Flight captain is Liu Chuanjian, who is dubbed as "hero pilot" and "China's Captain Sully," as he managed a safe emergency landing after a cockpit window cracked at high altitude in May 2018. His story was the basis of the Chinese film "The Captain." /CFP

The flame was lit in January 2021 in Turin, Italy – host of the first FISU World University Games in 1959. It will light the main cauldron on July 28 at the opening ceremony of the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games, which will run till August 8, after being postponed twice over COVID-19. /CFP

Chengdu will become the third city on the Chinese mainland to host the biennial Summer Universiade, following Beijing in 2001 and Shenzhen in 2011. /CFP