China Focus: National Day celebrated amid hope for better life

A flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China is held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- In an agricultural expo garden in the city of Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, more than 20 giant paddy "paintings" unfolded in a 200-hectare field, accompanied by rows of red national flags near the field.

An array of activities including exhibitions, a shopping festival and tourism promotion events were planned during the National Day holiday at the expo garden, attracting many citizens to visit and experience rural leisure tourism.

A citizen surnamed Luo brought her son to a themed exhibition on grain production, for him to "take a close look at the farming culture, the scientific and technological achievements of modern agriculture, and understand how difficult a harvest could be."

Celebrations were held nationwide for the National Day.

In the Chinese capital of Beijing, at around 6 a.m. Saturday, some 200,000 people from all walks of life gathered at the Tian'anmen Square and its adjacent areas for a grand flag-raising ceremony.

"With the government's good policies on agriculture, we have changed from a low-income household to a family living a moderately prosperous life," said Zhang Dan, who watched the Tian'anmen Square flag-raising ceremony. He hails from Nanyang City, central China's Henan Province, with the crops of wheat and corn a main source of income.

Chinese citizens enjoy a week-long holiday for the National Day. Yet some are still working on the frontline.

In a COVID-19 virus detection lab in Quannan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, Zhong Le was still working during the holiday. Her husband sent her several photos of their son playing in a garden.

"It's a pity that I can't accompany my family during the holiday. As a medical worker, I feel happy to see all the smiling faces on social media and that my family members and friends can travel safely," she said.

As the night closed in, over 400 villager-turned-performers in the Party's revolutionary base of Jinggangshan in Jiangxi, arrived in the open-air Red Army Theatre.

They put on a large-scale live-action performance about the Party's revolution stories in front of tourists from all over the country.

"I do farm work in the day and play in the show with my wife, which has not only increased my income, but also enriched my life," 51-year-old Qiu Rongping said.

At a community service center of Liuyang City, central China's Hunan Province, Yang Ruixian, 73, and nine other neighbors born in October celebrated birthday together Friday evening.

"With a strong motherland, we live a happy life today," Yang said. It was the eighth year in a row for the community to hold the collective birthday party for residents.

"Such activities bring residents together and arouse patriotism among them," said Liu Ying, Party chief of the community.