Raising flag on National Day

　　A GRAND flag-raising ceremony would be held at the square in front of the Citizens’ Center on the morning of Oct. 1 to celebrate China’s National Day, a government source said.

　　The national anthem will be played as the five-star red national flag is raised at 7:30 a.m., marking the 55th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

　　“It will be the largest flag-raising ceremony in the history of Shenzhen, and it will be the first time citizens will be allowed to closely witness the scene,” a government official said.

　　“About 1,000 people from different walks of life in Shenzhen have been organized to attend the ceremony,” he said.

　　The ceremony will be performed by a national flag guard under the local armed police contingent.

　　The team, which was set up in 2002, now has 86 members who have undergone strict professional training.

　　On the morning of National Day in Beijing, several thousand residents and travelers from other provinces are expected to witness a flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square.

　　Embraced widely by Chinese as a means to express their love and respect for the motherland, flag-raising ceremonies will also be held in many other places across China.