In Beijing, about 100,000 Chinese people, mostly local residents, gathered in the vast Tian' anmen Square in the heart of the city to watch the daily morning flag-raising ceremony.

To the tune of the Chinese national anthem played over loudspeakers, the Chinese national flag started up the flagpole at 7:36 am on this first day of the year 2000, precisely as the sun began to rise on the horizon.

Among the observers were Liu Wuyue, who was one of those monitoring the test flight of China's first spacecraft, Shenzhou, last November, newlyweds Liu Qing and her husband, and Jiang Feng, a student from Beijing University of Chemical Technology who came to the square shortly after 11 p.m. last night with some classmates to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

They said they were excited to watch the flag and were proud of the fact that China is on its way to becoming more prosperous and powerful after centuries of weakness and poverty.

Commemorative Year 2000 postcards sold well today across China.

Copies of newspapers published yesterday and today were snapped up at news stands in Beijing, Guangzhou and Changchuan, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, and many vendors reported sellouts.

Newspaper collector Peng Yuanjun bought single copies of a dozen major Beijing-based newspapers yesterday morning, including the People's Daily and TV Guide, and this morning he bought dozens of special edition copies of the Beijing Youth Daily and other Beijing-based newspapers published today.

"Newspapers are the best record of history," Peng said.

Readers of the Guangzhou Daily were surprised to see today's 200-page edition of the newspaper, which was 20 times its usual page length and thought to be the biggest New Year's paper printed in China.

In Shanghai, Zhou Lianqing celebrated her 100th birthday today with four generations of her family members and representatives of the local community, including middle school students, heads of nearby enterprises and local government officials.

Among the birthday gifts she received were flowers, an electronic New Year's card from one of her grandsons, and a telephone call from her daughter and son-in-law who live in the United States.

"I'm very happy to have so many people here celebrating my birthday ... I'm sure I can live another two or three decades since my life is so good," she said at a party at a local restaurant.

In Guangzhou, Zhang Huanjun, 71, and his wife donned their original wedding attire to greet the first rays of sunshine this morning on Baiyun Mountain, together with 238 newlywed couples, including their daughter and her groom.