Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders of the state attended a ceremony held at the Tiananmen Square in Beijing to honor and remember deceased national heroes on the country's fourth Martyrs' Day on Saturday.

Veterans, family members of martyrs and representatives of all walks of life gathered at the Monument to the People's Heroes and presented flowers to pay tribute to the martyrs.

Martyrs, as defined by the government, are "people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity, as well as the welfare of the people in modern times, or after First Opium War (1840-1842)."

China's legislature approved September 30, the eve of the National Day, as the Martyrs' Day in 2014 to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for national causes.