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China's National Day

China's National Day is celebrated on October 1st every year to mark the formation of the People's Republic of China. It's also known as National Day and National Golden Week in Chinese. The seven-day holiday from October 3rd to 7th is called Golden Week, during which seas of Chinese people go touring around the world.

The founding ceremony of new China was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on October 1st, 1949. The government declared October 1st as National Day every year from 1950 onwards. From 1950 to 1959, large celebrations were held every year on National Day, along with military parades.

In 1960, based on the principle of "thrift and simplicity," National Day celebrations were reformed to a small celebration every five years and a big one every ten years, with a military parade on every big celebration. From 1960 to 1970, grand rallies and mass processions were held in Tiananmen Square with no military parade. From 1971 to 1983, China celebrated National Day only with large-scale park activities and other gatherings.

In 1984, the 35th anniversary of National Day, a huge military parade and a mass parade were held. Since then, there have been three parades held in 1999, 2009, and 2019. On September 18, 1999, the State Council designated National Day as a holiday for all citizens with a three-day holiday. In 2000, the seven-day National Day Golden Week appeared. The three-day holiday is connected with the surrounding weekends, so people can enjoy a seven-day holiday from October 1st to 7th, which is a Golden Week.

By the way, China now has two Golden Weeks: the National Day Golden Week and the Chinese New Year Golden Week. National Day is a great day in China; it represents independence, strength, and national confidence.

The military parade has been an important part of the National Day ceremony from 1949 to the present. There have been a total of 15 National Day parades held. The number of representatives of the army, navy, and air force in a parade is generally around 10,000. Usually, there is also a mass parade behind the military parade. In 2019, more than 100,000 people from all walks of life took part in it. The entire parade is broadcast live on all major TV stations.

The Chinese National Day is seven days in mainland China, two days in Macau, and one day in Hong Kong. People usually take the seven-day holiday to travel because of the long holiday and good weather, resulting in a sea of tourists everywhere.

Travel Tips:

If possible, it's recommended to avoid traveling during this time.

If you have to travel, try to avoid the hot places.

Book your tour early, including hotel, transportation, and other arrangements.

On National Day, the national flag rises at 6:10 a.m. in Tiananmen Square. Hundreds of thousands of people gather to watch it. On October 1st, 2018, 145,000 people gathered in Tiananmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony. There are also other activities like firework displays, light shows, and flower bed exhibitions.