600 Beijing construction staff and workers gave an excellent performance on December 31, 1999 at a grand gala to greet the new century and millennium.

The celebration took place at the China Centenary Altar in the western part of Beijing.

The staff and workers came from Beijing Construction Engineering Group, the City Construction Group, the Housing Construction Group, the Building Materials Group, the Municipal Real estate Administration, the Communication Administration, the Postal Management Administration, the Public Traffic Corporation and the Subway Corporation, all these bodies are under Beijing City Construction Working Committee.

The staff and workers(lower photo), all in bright and colorful costumes, lined both sides of a big lawn, each held high two big red palace lanterns with a pole three meters long. They beat time with their feet to four songs and swung the lanterns, adding to the joyous festival air of the celebration. The staff and workers were all in high spirits and good order, creating a bright and gorgeous landscape among packed crows of tens of thousands.

Bracing a cold wind, they stood there for four hours in boosted morale because they realize that this festivity is a great event of the Beijing people to welcome the advent of the new century and millennium. They felt glorious and gratified to participate in such a grand celebration. "We will show to the whole world the lofty ideal and militant price of the Chinese people to carry on the past and open a way for the future and march ahead in unity for the revitalization of the great Chinese nation and for a more beautiful and majesty motherland," they noted.

Beijing Construction System also played an important role in the grand celebration at the Tian'anmen Square to greet Macao's Return to China December 20,1999.