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October 2, 2014

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China’s pride 65 years on

MORE than 120,000 people from across China gathered at Tian’anmen Square in the heart of Beijing at daybreak yesterday to watch the raising of the national flag on the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The crowd stood in silence as the national anthem was played and the five-star national flag was raised. Then, to cheers and applause, some 10,000 doves and 30,000 yellow and red balloons were released to mark National Day.

The flag-raising ceremony is held every day but yesterday’s ceremony was witnessed by people who had come from all over the nation and abroad to be in the capital for the historic occasion.

“It took me 27 hours by train to travel from Guiyang to the Beijing West Railway Station. Ten hours from the station to the square plus waiting. When I saw the flag rise, all the coldness and tiredness were gone,” said Tan Shitao from southwest China’s Guiyang City.

A similar ceremony was held in the capital of the country’s far west Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where about 10,000 people watched the raising of the national flag at the People’s Square in Urumqi.

Watching the national flag go up in Xinjiang was an emotional experience for Luo Qian, a civil servant from east China’s Shandong Province who now works in Xinjiang. “I feel the greatness of our country and I’m proud to have the chance to work here,” Luo said.

Sansha, in the South China Sea 2,680 kilometers from Beijing, also witnessed the raising of the national flag at daybreak. “There are more and more people on the island now. Aside from fishing, I could open a restaurant,” said Fu Guoshan.

Wu Zhongcan, one of the soldiers who raised the flag, said he was proud to mark the day in Sansha. “Whenever I see the national flag, I feel safe and calm,” he said.

Sansha was created in 2012 on Yongxing Island to administer the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands and surrounding waters in the South China Sea.

Thousands of people also got together in east China’s Fuzhou City to mark National Day as the national flag was raised.

“My grandpa was brought to the Chinese mainland from Taiwan by the nationalist forces, then he joined the People’s Liberation Army here,” said Huang Yimei.

In east China’s Xiamen City, a group wedding was held to celebrate National Day which involved 100 couples from 18 provinces, Taiwan and the UK.

“Today is the most unforgettable day in my life. It is not only the National Day but also my wedding day and my wife’s birthday,” said Zou Yisong from Zhangzhou in southeast China’s Fujian Province.

Despite the huge crowds, litter was not a problem in Tian’anmen Square, Beijing’s Environment Sanitation Engineering Group said yesterday.

As of 10am, 3.5 tons of garbage was cleared, about 30 percent less than last year despite the presence of more than 120,000 people, compared to last year’s 110,000.




 

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