The 59th anniversary of founding of the People's Republic of China, which fell on Wednesday, was celebrated by people from different walks of life across the country.

At Tian'anmen Square, the heart of the national capital of Beijing, some 190,000 people from different parts of the country gathered early on Wednesday to attend a special flag-hoisting ceremony marking the occasion.

Flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 59th anniversary of founding of PR China in early morning of October 1, 2008 [Xinhua]

A group of students from Weishan Middle School in Tianjin, a mega city not far away from Beijing, on Wednesday chose to visit a photo exhibition, featuring Five-Star Flag Flutters in the Wind, at Tianjin Museum.

Down south, more than 800 people in east China's Jiangsu Province participated in a ceremony held inside the Yuhuatai Cemetery for the martyrs in Nanjing, provincial capital of Jiangsu, at 8 a.m.

Among the participants were local officials from Jiangsu provincial government and city officials of Nanjing, school students, military officers and soldiers, as well as representatives of ordinary residents in the city.

Some 190,000 people from different parts of the country gathered at Tian'anmen Square early on Wednesday to attend a special flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 59th anniversary of founding of PR China. [Xinhua]

Apart from placing wreaths of fresh flowers at the Monument to the People's Heroes, participants also observed one minute of silence and encircled the monument, with The Internationale played as the backdrop.

In Guangzhou, a key city in south China, more than 1,000 people attended a memorial service staged in Guangzhou Uprising Martyr Cemetery Park on Wednesday.

Led by Wang Yang, Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Huang Huahua, Governor of Guangdong, the participants attended a National Flag-raising ceremony. Wang and Huang also laid floral baskets in front of the Huanghuagang Mausoleum of 72 Martyirs.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2008)