2010 China National Day is around the corner

Posted on Sep 27, 2010

2010 China National Day is around the corner, and the 2010 Chinese National Day holiday is from Oct 1 to Oct 7, 2010.

October 1st is the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and celebrated as China's National Holiday. As an important occasion, the holiday is celebrated all of the People's Republic of China.

Since the National Party Plenum meeting in May 1999, Chinese people have been guranteed a week off during the holiday, turing the holiday into both a patriotic and economic fixture of the Autumn season. In folk parlance, National Day is referred to as one of the “Golden Weeks”, of the year, the other one being the week during the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Celebrating the National Day

The Flower Bed in Tiananmen Square

The flower bed in Tiananmen Square during the National Day holiday is found grand and beautiful. The highlight of the Flower Bed is a 9.9meter-high palace lantern. It is the highest palace Lantern in Beijing. It is made of delicately carved high quality wood. It is decorated with Chinese paintings of peony as well as the Great Wall and topped with a life-like dragon's head. 200,000 potted flowers are used to form the flower bed and sure to fill Beijing with festive ambiance.

Besides the Tiananmen Square, you can see the flower bed in variety of shape and size everywhere around China to celebrate the festival.

Hanging Red Chinese Lanterns

During China's National Day, red lanterns are seen everywhere, especially hanging at the gates of government office buildings as well as all kinds of stores and shops. The red lantern is a symbol of festivity, luck and happiness.

Fireworks Show

Fireworks displays are usually held nationwide in all cities during China's National Day.

The National Day Parade

The National Day Parade was designated by CPPCC as an important component of the grand ceremony for the founding of P.R.C. From 1949 to 1959, 11 national parades were held on October first, though no national parades were held for the next 24 years. It was not until 1984 that the national parade was resumed by the then Central People's Government at the urging of Comrade Deng Xiaoping on the thirty-fifth National Day of the P.R.C. Since that time, when the anniversary is a multiple of five (e.g. the 50th, 55th, or 60th), large scale state functions may be held such as the inspection of troops in Tiananmen Square. There was a Grand National Day Parade in 2009 for celebrating the 60th anniversary of the funding of P.R.C.

National Day Travel Tips

• Many Chinese people like to enjoy this week-long holiday by taking a short excursion or long distance family visit. The result is that many famous destinations become very crowded.
• Airline tickets, train tickets, long distance bus tickets as well as hotel rooms should be booked ahead of time.
• Beware of sticky fingers, especially on public buses, supermarkets and tourism regions.
• The week-long National Day Holiday is a week for retail sales. Almost all department stores, supermarkets, and small shops will feature discounts.
• National Day is celebrated throughout mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau with a variety of festivities, including fireworks and concerts, such as The Hong Kong National Day Fireworks Display, The Music Spectacular Water Cube Concert and The Shanghai National Day Concert mentioned before.

Recommended Hot Beijing Tour Deals during 2010 China National Day Holiday

• 1 Day Beijing Classic Tour
• 2 Days Beijing Essence Tour
• 3 Days Beijing Highlights Tour
• 4 Days Classic Beijing Tour
• 5 Days Beijing Highlights Tour with Hutongs
• 6 Days In-depth Beijing Tour with Great Wall