Chinese leaders present flowers to heroes' monument on National Day
Top leaders laid flower baskets at the Monument to the People's Heroes in the heart of Beijing Monday morning to mark the National Day.
Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang participated in the ceremony held at the Tian'anmen Square, where the monument stands, and paid their respect to those who sacrificed for the nation's independence and liberation.
The leaders then walked around the monument, viewing the relief sculptures and inscriptions that display the history of China's struggles for modernity in nearly two centuries.
They joined 3,600 representatives from all walks of life in Beijing in the ceremony to mark the 63rd anniversary of founding of the People's Republic of China.
The square, regarded as a national landmark, is beautifully decorated with flowers and colorful flags.
The ceremony presents a chance for all Chinese to express patriotism, reflects the historical role of this generation and encourages the Chinese people to work for the revival of Chinese nation, said Yang Yu, a Beijing-based news analyst during the live broadcast of the China Central Television.
The ceremony has been held on the National Day since 2008.
This year will see a very important meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) since its 18th national congress is proposed to convene on November 8 in Beijing.
On Friday, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided at a meeting to submit the proposal to the seventh plenary meeting of the 17th CPC Central Committee, which will be held on November 1.
A new CPC Central Committee and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection will be elected at the national congress.
