Flower garden at Beihai Park. The signboards read 国庆 (guóqìng; literally "national celebration"), i.e. "National Day"
National Day (Chinese: 国庆节; pinyin: guóqìng jié; lit. 'national celebration day'), officially the National Day of the People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国国庆节, is a public holiday in China celebrated annually on 1 October as the national day of the People's Republic of China, commemorating Mao Zedong's formal proclamation of the establishment of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949. The Chinese Communist Party victory in the Chinese Civil War resulted in the Kuomintang retreat to Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Revolution whereby the People's Republic of China replaced the Republic of China.
Although it is observed on 1 October, another six days are added to the official holiday, normally in lieu of the two weekend breaks around 1 October, making it a de facto public holiday comprising seven consecutive days also known as Golden Week 黄金周 huángjīn zhōu with specifics regulated by the State Council. Festivities and concerts are usually held nationwide on this day, with a grand military parade and mass pageant event held on select years. The parade held on 1 October 2019 marked the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defeated the incumbent Kuomintang (KMT) nationalist government of the Republic of China in the Chinese Civil War that took place from 1927 to 1950 except for a brief alliance against Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. In its aftermath, the nationalist government withdrew to the island of Taiwan, previously a prefecture of the Qing Empire that was ceded to Japan under its colonial rule from 1895 to 1945. The People's Republic of China was founded on 1 October 1949, with a ceremony celebrating the forming of the Central People's Government taking place in Tiananmen Square in its new national capital of Peking (previously Peiping) on the same day that year. The first public parade of the new People's Liberation Army took place there, following the address by the country's first Chairman Mao Zedong officially declaring the formal establishment of the Republic. The Central People's Government passed the Resolution on the National Day of the People's Republic of China on 3 December 1949 and declared that 1 October is the National Day.
21 facts you didn't know about China
- The Great Wall of China is not a single, unbroken wall but a series of walls and fortifications. It is the longest wall in the world, with an estimated length of 13,170 miles (21,196 kilometers).
- China is home to the oldest continuous civilization in the world, with written records dating back over 3,500 years.
- China is the world's most populous country, with over 1.4 billion people, representing approximately 18% of the global population.
- The country uses a "social credit" system, which rates citizens based on their behavior and rewards or penalizes them accordingly.
- China is one of the largest countries by land area, covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, making it the fourth largest country in the world.
- The Chinese invented paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing, among other things. These inventions are often referred to as the Four Great Inventions of ancient China.
- The Giant Panda, one of the world's most endangered and adored animals, is native to China and serves as an unofficial national symbol.
- China is the world's largest producer and consumer of rice, and it plays a central role in the country's cuisine and culture.
- The Yangtze River in China is the third-longest river in the world, stretching over 6,300 kilometers (3,917 miles).
- The Terracotta Army, discovered in 1974 in Xi'an, consists of thousands of life-sized clay soldiers that were buried with Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, to protect him in the afterlife.
- Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese practice of arranging physical environments to harmonize with spiritual energies, originated in China over 3,000 years ago.
- The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected China to the Mediterranean Sea, facilitating not only trade but also the exchange of ideas and cultures.
- China has a "megacity" called the Pearl River Delta, which is the world's largest urban area in both size and population, surpassing Tokyo.
- Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most significant traditional Chinese holiday, celebrated with fireworks, dragon dances, and family reunions.
- The Forbidden City in Beijing is the world's largest palace complex, consisting of 980 buildings over 180 acres.
- China's high-speed rail network is the most extensive in the world, with over 37,000 kilometers (about 23,000 miles) of tracks.
- Traditional Chinese medicine, with its roots going back over 2,500 years, emphasizes balancing the body's internal energy and harmony with the natural world.
- China was the first country to use paper money, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
- The concept of Yin and Yang, which represents the idea that opposite forces are interconnected and interdependent, originates from ancient Chinese philosophy.
- The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province is a renowned facility dedicated to the conservation of giant pandas.
- China is one of the world's oldest tea-producing countries, with a history of tea cultivation that dates back over 3,000 years.
