National Day of the People's Republic of China
Next: October 1, 2027
Flags at dawn, then a week away.
The story
Where it comes from
On 1 October 1949 Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China from Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, before a crowd of about 300,000 in the square below, and the first Five-Star Red Flag was raised. In December that year 1 October was formally adopted as National Day, and the Story marks that anniversary. Hong Kong and Macau keep it as a public holiday too. Since 1999 the mainland holiday has been stretched into a seven-day break known as Golden Week.
How it's celebrated
The day begins with the raising of the national flag in Tiananmen Square. Then much of the country goes travelling: Golden Week is one of the busiest times of the year on trains, roads and at tourist sites, as families go home to relatives or go sightseeing. In Hong Kong, in most years, the evening ends with a fireworks display over Victoria Harbour, watched from both sides of the water.
Did you know
- Over the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn holiday in 2025, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism counted 888 million domestic trips.
- Hong Kong held its first National Day fireworks over Victoria Harbour on 1 October 1997, three months after the handover.
- China's seven-day break, introduced in 1999, shares its 'Golden Week' name with a run of spring holidays in Japan.
The greeting
国庆快乐 · Guóqìng kuàilè
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