More than 200,000 people from different walks of life gathered at Tiananmen Square in downtown Beijing to watch the flag-raising ceremony today, the National Day celebrating the 51st anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
At 6:05 am Sunday morning, the flag was carried out amid music by a guarding contingent consisting of 36 soldiers and a 60-member military band.
It was hoisted up the pole at 6:10 am along with the rising of the sun.
The audience included clergy and tourists and students from primary and middle schools.
In order to watch the flag-raising ceremony this morning, 260 people were flown in on a chartered flight from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, and arrived Beijing at 3:40 am.
The Tiananmen Square is believed to be the largest city square in the world. The founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China was held at the square 51 years ago and the late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong announced the birth of New China. And also here Mao pressed the button to hoist the first national flag of New China.
(People's Daily 10/01/2000)
