The official name of China’s National Day is the National Day of the People’s Republic of China, which is 中华人民共和国国庆节 (Zhōnghuá rénmín gònghéguó guóqìngjié) in Chinese. However, as you can see, this name is quite long. Therefore, it is commonly referred to as 国庆节 (guóqìngjié) in China.
When is the National Day
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrates its anniversary on October 1st. The holiday is officially three days long, but it is often extended by bridge holidays and compensated by working on weekends, depending on when the holiday falls in the week. Sometimes, it can even be extended to a whole week, which is why people also refer to it as the “Golden Week” (黄金周 huángjīnzhōu).
What Do We Do
- National flag-raising ceremony 🇨🇳
升旗典礼 shēngqí diǎnlǐ
The National Day celebration is always held at Tiananmen Square in the capital of Beijing, and it typically starts around 6 o’clock in the morning. During the celebration, all the people gather in front of the national flag and sing the national songs together. As they sing, the national flag is raised slowly. Once the flag reaches the top, the government releases many doves as a symbol of peace.
- Giving a speech 🗣️
致辞 zhìcí
During the National Day celebration in China, it is common for government officials, including the President or Premier, to give speeches addressing the nation. These speeches often reflect on the country’s achievements and progress over the past year, as well as its goals and plans for the future. Speaking of goals and plans, President Xi would never ever forget to mention one China policy that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.🥴
- National civil-military parade 💂♀️
阅兵式 yuèbīngshì
The National civil-military parade usually involves the display of military hardware, such as tanks, missiles, and other advanced weaponry, as well as large formations of soldiers and military personnel. In addition to the military parade, the event also features a civil parade that includes floats, performers, and representatives from different regions and ethnic groups of China.
China National Song
Fun Facts
China’s National Day is a time of national pride and celebration, but it also has some interesting history associated with it. Here are a few fun facts about China’s National Day:
- The first National Day was celebrated in 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was founded, which is much later than Taiwan’s National Day, celebrated in 1911.
- The first National Day celebrations were held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, where the 1989 student-led pro-democracy protests occurred, which ended in a violent crackdown by the Chinese government.
- During the Cultural Revolution, National Day celebrations were banned and replaced with a “Day of Mourning” for those who had died in the struggle for socialism.
- National Day celebrations were reinstated in 1971 and since then have been an important annual event in China, displaying national strength and pride.
- In reality, most Chinese people do not participate in the activities mentioned above. Instead, they prefer to stay at home and sleep until noon, or spend time with family and friends during the holiday.
