HONG KONG -- Brimming with cheer and jubilance, Hong Kong unveiled a string of activities Saturday in celebration of the 62nd National Day of the People's Republic of China.
Kicking off the celebrations was a flag-raising ceremony held at the Golden Bauhinia Square in the morning. Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Donald Tsang attended the occasion with about 3,000 people, including invited guests, senior officials and members of youth uniformed groups and community groups.
At 8 a.m., the National Flag and the Regional Flag were raised up, accompanied by the National Anthem. Local junior high school student Siu Man, who joined the crowds to witness the magnificent moment, said she was proud of being Chinese and wished the country a happy birthday.
Following the ceremony was a National Day reception hosted by the Chief Executive. Over 4,000 invited guests attended, including members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, consular corps, senior government officials, community group leaders and members of various community sectors.
Delivering his speech at the reception, Tsang said Hong Kong people should join hands and put heads together to discuss ways to resolve issues, and to seize the chance to build a better, brighter future.
"Our ability to seize opportunities and to keep up with the times has always been our key to success," said Tsang, adding the city has a more important role to play in the 12th Five-Year Plan, which is a chance that the city cannot afford to miss.
He said, Hong Kong, as its nation's international financial center, keeps a particularly close eye on events in the financial world and makes every effort to support the country's steady development.
In the evening, the Organizing Committee of Compatriots in Hong Kong for Celebration of the 62nd Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China presented a variety of shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
Featuring the theme of "love", the shows started at 7 p.m., with local pop singers William So, Kelly Chan, People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, and various performing arts groups presenting a series of music and dance before the audience.
As a finale of the day's celebration, a spectacular fireworks display, sponsored by the Hong Kong Federation of Fujian Associations and coordinated by the city's Home Affairs Bureau, was carried out at 9 p.m. A total of 31,888 firing shells were discharged in the 23-minute display, lighting up the Victoria Harbor.
Hours before the start of the fireworks display, both sides of the harbor had already been crowded with local residents who wanted to occupy a favorable position to view the show.
The fireworks display consists of nine scenes of different themes. The first scene feature colorful fireworks of smiling faces and the Chinese characters for "China, October 1" to celebrate National Day. It reached the climax in the last scene with fast and rhythmic firing of shells for 52 seconds in colors of red, yellow, green and purple.
