China celebrates National Day

Beijing, Oct. 2 (PTI): Braving steady drizzle and tight security, over one lakh Chinese gathered at Tian'anmen Square here on Monday in central Beijing to watch national flag raising ceremony to mark 58th founding anniversary of the communist nation.

People began to flock into the square, decorated with 400,000 pots of flowers of varied colour, early morning for witnessing the impressive five-star red flag rising ceremony at 6:10 a.m accompanied by the national anthem.

"I feel so proud to witness the country is becoming more and more prosperous after going through so many hardships," 72-year-old Wang Nianshun, who came all the way to Beijing from eastern Shandong Province to witness the flag-raising ceremony.

Security was tight at Tian'anmen Square, where the Chinese army launched a bloody crackdown in June 1989 against pro-democracy activists and students who had staged a violent anti-government movement.

Police could be seen in strength at the world's largest square as authorities did not want any "mass incidents" in the heart of Beijing ahead of the 17th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) here from October 15.

China's Ministry of Public Security has already asked police to stand alert during the week-long National Day holiday to ensure social stability and people's safety.

More than 150 million people are expected to go on tour during the "Golden Week" holiday that started on Monday. In Beijing, local tourism authorities have predicted that about 1.7 million people will visit the Chinese capital during the period.