pk-china-user Hours before sunrise on Thursday, Tian’anmen Square in Beijing was already filled with excitement and anticipation as more than 100,000 people from across China gathered to witness the national flag-raising ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
At around 6:10 a.m., the national anthem rang out across the square as the crowd sang together, watching the five-starred red flag rise into the morning sky. For many people, the emotional moment brought tears to their eyes.
When a large flock of white doves was released into the sky, cheers and applause swept through the crowd, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Children waved national flags as they moved through the square, while young people chatted and laughed with national flag stickers on their cheeks. Older visitors, dressed in colorful festive clothing, smiled as they posed for group photographs beside the 18-meter-high flower basket installed at the center of the square.
The celebratory atmosphere was not limited to Beijing. Streets across China were decorated with national flags and floral displays, while residential communities were adorned with lanterns and traditional Chinese knots.
“Every time I pass these flower displays, I feel inspired,” said Gao Feng, a food delivery rider who crossed Chang’an Avenue, one of central Beijing’s major thoroughfares.
“I truly believe that if everyone does their job well and takes things one step at a time, we can build a better future,” Gao said.
On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders attended a Martyrs’ Day ceremony, paying tribute to fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Chinese people and the development of the PRC.
China also awarded the 2026 Chinese Government Friendship Award to 50 foreign experts in recognition of their contributions to China’s development and to friendship and cooperation between China and other countries.
Remarkable Progress
Seventy-seven years ago, on the same day, former Chinese leader Mao Zedong stood on the Tian’anmen Rostrum and announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China, marking a significant turning point in the country’s history.
Over the following decades, China transformed from a poor country into the world’s second-largest economy and a major global power increasingly taking a central role on the world stage.
By 2025, China’s GDP had exceeded 140 trillion yuan (around 19.6 trillion U.S. dollars), accounting for approximately one-sixth of the global economy. The country continued to contribute around 30 percent of global economic growth.
Economic development has also been reflected in rising incomes and longer life expectancy. Per capita disposable income increased from 49.7 yuan in 1949 to 43,377 yuan in 2025, while average life expectancy more than doubled from 35 years to 79.25 years.
China has eliminated absolute poverty and established the world’s largest education, social security and healthcare systems. Over the past several decades, the country has also experienced one of the world’s largest and fastest urbanization processes. Once predominantly agricultural, China now has roughly twice as many urban residents as rural residents.
The country has developed into a global manufacturing powerhouse, producing a wide range of goods and technologies, from new-energy vehicles and industrial robots to advanced chips. In 2025, new-energy vehicle production exceeded 16 million units, while industrial robot and integrated circuit output increased by 28 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively.
China has also emerged as a rapidly growing force in technological innovation, making significant advances in areas including artificial intelligence, biomedicine and quantum technology. The country has achieved breakthroughs in both land-based and sea-based rocket recovery technologies.
These developments have also influenced China’s engagement with the international community. Through firsthand interactions, people around the world are gaining a deeper understanding of an increasingly innovative and culturally vibrant China. At the same time, China’s development experience has expanded the range of possible approaches for developing countries pursuing modernization.
“We take immense pride in the extraordinary achievements of New China and have full confidence in the bright prospects of Chinese modernization,” Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said at a reception held on the eve of National Day.
