China Marks 77th National Day With Flag Raising at Tiananmen

Beijing (GNP): China marked the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Thursday with a flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army escorted the national flag to the square, while a military band played the national anthem. Many people from across the country gathered there to watch.

The ceremony opened a day of celebrations that stretched well beyond the capital. From the mountains to the cities, people across China came together to mark the anniversary.

The date carries historic weight. The PRC was established on 1 October 1949, when Mao Zedong declared the creation of New China from Tiananmen Square, at a ceremony marking the founding of the Central People’s Government.

The following day, on 2 October 1949, the new government passed a resolution declaring 1 October as National Day. Since 1950, the date has been celebrated every year as a major national festival.

Celebrations today follow a familiar pattern. Government-organised events across mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong include fireworks, concerts, sports events and cultural programmes, while public places are decorated in a patriotic theme.

National Day also opens a week of travel. The holiday runs for seven days, from 1 to 7 October, and is known in China as Golden Week because it is the biggest week for tourism in the country.

The government originally lengthened the holiday to help grow the domestic tourism market. Families use the week to reunite and to take trips within China and to neighbouring countries.

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That popularity brings crowds. Coastal areas and large cities such as Hong Kong, Sanya, Beijing and Shanghai draw many visitors, and train tickets to those cities tend to sell out fast.

Travel advice for the week follows from that. Booking flights, trains and hotels early helps, with train tickets available 60 days before departure. Cities in the southwest, west and northeast are generally less crowded.

For many people the day therefore combines two things, a national anniversary marked in Tiananmen Square and the start of the busiest travel week of the year.