Witnessed by 43,000 people from across the country, a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held on Monday morning at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China.
Such a ceremony is held each day here, but on important days, many people would travel long distances and wait overnight just for that solemn moment at the Tian'anmen Square.
As the sky was turning bright in the east, the national flag was escorted by the People's Liberation Army Guard of Honor to the flagpole. With the military band playing the national anthem in the background, the national flag rose at 4:50, together with the sun.
The celebration coincided with the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. This ceremony also drew residents from Hong Kong, and Du Wenjing was one of them. She has been studying journalism at Wuhan University in the mainland province of Hubei for several years and this was her second time here at the Tian'anmen Square to watch the ceremony.
"After traveling to different provinces and cities, I increasingly felt that we people on the vast land are of the same origin. Hong Kong has maintained a very close relationship with the motherland. And I hope I can use what I have learned in Wuhan University in the past four years to repay the society and make my due contribution to national development," said Du.
A young space engineer said he can feel a strong sense of national pride when attending the flag hoisting ceremony, just like seeing rockets blasting off.
"To me, the rising national flag was reminiscent of the scene of rocket launch. The most exciting moment was when the guard unfurled the national flag. I can see that our country is becoming more and more prosperous. And our aerospace industry will surely flourish," said Hou Lu from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The crowds also included children on their summer vocation.
"We came from Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. This is the first time we have watched the flag raising in Beijing from such a close distance. I have only seen it on TV before, and today watching it in person for the first time makes me feel very excited," said a little girl.
Flag-raising ceremony held at Tian'anmen Square to mark CPC 103rd anniversary
