In pics | Fireworks and protests: Here's how China's National Day was celebrated
Flag-raising at Tiananmen Square
On Sunday (Oct 1), China marked its 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China or China's National Day. More than 300,000 people gathered, according to the Chinese state-media, at sunrise in Tiananmen Square in Beijing for the flag-raising to witness the moment.
Why Tiananmen Square?
China's Tiananmen Square is a complicated historical site, to say the least. Every year China celebrates it's national day October 1 as on this day in 1949, Mao Zedong, the leader of the Red Army, officially declared the formation of the People’s Republic of China.
On the other hand, it is also site where a lone protestor once stood in front of a line of army tanks in a show of defiance against Beijing. What started as a student-led protest in the mid-1980s, by 1989, had become a movement with people demanding political openness and less censorship.
Between June 3 to June 4 in 1989, the Chinese troops began to move towards Tiananmen Square, opening fire, crushing and arresting protestors - which Chinese government deemed as "counter-revolutionary riots" - in a bid to regain control of the area.
Fireworks light up skies in Hong Kong and Macao
Fireworks lit up the skies of Hong Kong and Macao - China's two special administrative regions - on Sunday evening to celebrate China's National Day.
According to Chinese state media, a total of 31,888 fireworks shot up to the sky in Hong Kong during the 23-minute-long residents and tourists gathered.
Meanwhile, in Macao, the fireworks show was staged by Chinese and Portuguese companies as part of the 31st Macao International Fireworks Display Contest, where fireworks companies from 10 countries around the world are scheduled to present 10 shows of fireworks and music within nearly a month, according to Chinese media reports.
Image shows fireworks over Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on October 1, 2023, as the city celebrates China's National Day.
Drone light show in Hong Kong and Shenzhen
Over the weekend, Hong Kong and Chinese Shenzhen City staged a joint drone light show to mark China's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, according to Chinese media reports, as Beijing is in the midst of its "golden week" holiday.
The week-long holiday includes the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday which goes from September 29 and October 6.
As many as 2,400 drones from both the cities over the OCT Harbor in Shenzhen and the Victoria Harbour, according to the Chinese media. The drones featured scenes like full moon rising over the sea and Chang'e - the moon goddess in Chinese mythology - flying to the moon.
Protests in Istanbul
While China was in the midst of celebrating its Nation Day on Sunday, a group of ethnic Uyghurs staged a protest against Beijing near Chinese consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
This comes as Beijing has repeatedly rejected accusations that it has incarcerated more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the northwestern region.
'Stop China'
Image shows ethnic Uyghur demonstrators take part in a protest against China near Chinese consulate in Istanbul, on October 1, 2023, China's National Day.
Pak monument lit up red to celebrate China's National Day
Pakistan's National Monument in Islamabad was seen illuminated in red to celebrate China's 74th National Day, according to Pakistan media reports.
The image was also shared by Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India Counselor Ji Rong, on X, with the caption "Pakistan's National Monument was illuminated in red color to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Sunday."
(Photo: @JiRongMFA/X)
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