China Marks National Day With Tiananmen Flag Ceremony
A solemn flag-raising ceremony was held at Tiananmen Square in Beijing at dawn on October 1, 2026, marking National Day and the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The event opened the country’s week-long National Day holiday and capped a sequence of high-profile patriotic observances in the capital.
According to Xinhua News, the ceremony took place early on the morning of October 1, with the state news agency publishing a photo gallery of the event at 08:24 Beijing time. The Xinhua caption described “a grand flag-raising ceremony” held in Tiananmen Square to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the PRC’s founding.
The Ceremony
Shortly after the ceremony, CCTV News reported that the five-star red flag rose slowly to the national anthem as the first rays of morning light broke over the square.
“Today (October 1) is National Day. New China welcomes its 77th birthday. Tiananmen Square held the 2026 National Day flag-raising ceremony,” the network reported. “Facing the first rays of morning light, to the majestic national anthem, the five-star red flag rose slowly! Wishing our great motherland prosperity!”
CCTV also reported that peace doves were released amid the stirring melody of “Ode to the Motherland” (歌唱祖国), a patriotic song that has become a fixture of major state ceremonies. The broadcast included footage of the flag guard formation marching through a gate, singing as it advanced, a scene the network said stirred deep emotion among viewers.
China’s National Day commemorates Mao Zedong’s proclamation of the founding of the PRC from the Tiananmen Rostrum on October 1, 1949. The 2026 observance marks the 77th anniversary of that moment.
The Tiananmen Square flag-raising is a daily event that is scaled up on major holidays. On National Day, the honor-guard formation is expanded from its usual 66 members to 96, and the ceremony is conducted by the PLA Honor Guard and its flag guard unit.
A Week of Patriotic Observance
The flag ceremony was the culmination of several days of official events. On the morning of September 30, Martyrs’ Day, a flower-basket ceremony was held at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square, attended by President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders. The observance honors those who died in the revolutionary cause and is held annually on the day before National Day.
That evening, a National Day reception was held at the Great Hall of the People, where Xi delivered a major speech. According to Economic Daily, the reception drew roughly 800 Chinese and foreign guests and was presided over by Premier Li Qiang, with senior leaders Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng in attendance.
In his remarks, Xi struck a confident tone about the country’s trajectory. “Through long-term exploration and practice, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics has demonstrated great advantages… the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable,” he said, adding that “success will surely belong to the great Communist Party of China, the great Chinese people, and the great People’s Republic of China.”
The president also framed the year in economic terms, noting that China had been “formulating and implementing the 15th Five-Year Plan” and that the economy had “pressed forward against headwinds… showing strong resilience and vitality.” He called for “striving to fulfill the year’s targets and achieve a good start for the 15th Five-Year Plan.”
Analysis: Symbolism and Strategy
The juxtaposition of the flag ceremony with Xi’s economic messaging reflects the dual character of National Day in China — at once a moment of patriotic celebration and a platform for political communication. The 77th anniversary falls as Beijing seeks to project stability and momentum around its next five-year development blueprint.
The ceremony also drives significant public engagement. Large overnight crowds traditionally gather at Tiananmen Square to witness the National Day flag-raising, and the expanded honor-guard formation underscores the event’s ceremonial weight. Crowd-size figures for 2026 were not immediately available; reporting on prior years has cited crowds exceeding 100,000.
What’s Next
The flag-raising opened China’s week-long National Day holiday, a period of mass domestic travel and public celebration. Official attention now turns to the rollout of the 15th Five-Year Plan and the government’s stated goal of meeting its full-year economic targets — themes Xi emphasized in his reception address and that are likely to dominate official messaging through the rest of the year.
Note: Quotes translated from Chinese-language sources. The original Xinhua story was a photo gallery whose caption confirmed the ceremony. Crowd-size figures for 2026 were not available at the time of writing.