BEIJING, Oct.1 -- Different regions of China on Sunday celebrated the 57th
anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic in different ways, kicking
off a weeklong holiday.
Some 220,000 people were on hand at Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing
as a warm autumn sun rose to the playing of the "March of the Volunteers". As
the national flag reached full staff at 6:10 a.m., 10,000 pigeons were released.
The throngs of people in downtown Beijing perhaps contrasted most sharply
with National Day activities at the Suanjingzi frontier defence outpost in
Araxan League, in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It lies near the border
between China and Mongolia, and while temperatures dropped below zero, 12
frontier guards rose early in the morning to dust the courtyard of their
barracks.
Their National Day celebrations started at 8:30 a.m., when the 12 guards took
turns as actors and audience as they performed sketches, dances, and sang for
each other. The guards then climbed hill and arranged stones to form a map of
the country.
Far to the south, in Shanghai Sunday's celebrations mixed theater and sports
for many.
Wang Bin, a native of east China's Anhui Province, on Saturday came to Chin's
largest city to take in the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix.
"I would have missed the farewell race of Michael Schumacher if it were not
the week's holiday," said the sports car fan excitedly, who was wearing the
Ferrari team's famous red racing suit.
A man surnamed Fang drove his middle school son for about 300 km from his
home in Zhejiang Province to watch the Disney musical, "The Lion King" being
staged at the Shanghai Grand Theater.
National Day was marked by a fireworks display and singing in Fuding in
Fujian Province, one of the worst hit areas by typhoon Saomai in August.
Lan Chengzhong, Party secretary of Xiamen township, told Xinhua that as of
Sunday, 36 families had moved into newly built houses, and 200 other households
are still busy building new homes.
"I believe most of families whose homes were razed down by Saomai will have
moved into new houses by New Year's Day," said Lan.
In Tibet, a smaller flag-raising ceremony was held to mark National Day on
the square before the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the regional capital. It was
attended by 3,000 people, many of whom were tourists who had taken the new
Qinghai-Tibet Railway which began service on July 1.
East of Tibet, residents of different ethnic groups in Dulong-Nu Autonomous
County of Gongshan, which falls under jurisdiction of southwest China's Yunnan
Province, wore their best festive costumes as they sang and danced to celebrated
the 57th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic and the 50th
anniversary of founding of the autonomous county.
