More than 100,000 people gathered at Tian’anmen Square for China’s National Day as a giant flower basket added colour to the celebrations in Beijing.
Before sunrise on Oct. 1st, more than 100,000 people from across China had gathered at Tian’anmen Square in central Beijing to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
At 6:06 a.m., a bugle call marked the start of the flag-raising ceremony. Members of the national flag guard marched across Jinshui Bridge and took their positions around the flagpole.
As the command rang out, the national anthem played. The five-star red flag rose slowly as people in the square stood and sang along.
At 6:10 a.m., the flag reached the top of the pole. Moments later, flocks of white doves flew over the square.
Yet the flag was not the only familiar symbol drawing attention that morning. Nearby stood a giant flower basket, a colourful centrepiece of Beijing’s National Day celebrations.
A Flower Basket
The “Blessings to the Motherland” flower basket was completed ahead of the National Day holiday. Its base measures 45 metres across, while the top of the flower arrangement stands 18 metres high.
Because of its size, construction began about half a month before the holiday.
Many people followed the work online and visited Tian’anmen Square to take photos. Some even formed an informal “online supervisor team” to keep track of the progress.
Beijing resident Zhao Yuehan was one of them.
“I had been following the construction online for a week. Today, I finally saw the completed flower basket in person,” Zhao said. “It was both exciting and reassuring. It really feels like National Day is here.”
For Zhao, watching the basket take shape was part of the fun.
“The flowers and fruit in the basket are huge. The workers look like tiny people in a giant’s world,” she said. “I look forward to seeing what changes each day.”
The flower basket has also become part of many visitors’ National Day trips.
Wang Qi, who travelled from Guangdong, shared the moment with a friend by video call while standing in the square.
“I saw it, so it’s almost as if you saw it too,” Wang said.
She said she had come to appreciate the flower basket more as she grew older. Its festive design, filled with flowers and fruit, has become closely associated with the holiday.
Meanwhile, the flower basket’s popularity has spread beyond the square. A mobile shop nearby sells flower-basket-themed souvenirs, including a plush toy that gives off a faint floral scent and plays a recording of “Beijing Welcomes You” when squeezed. Other shops in nearby commercial areas offer fridge magnets, badges and other related products.
A Tradition Shaped by Flowers
The flower basket is more than a seasonal decoration. It also draws on China’s long tradition of flower arrangement.
Flower baskets date back to the pre-Qin period. During the Southern Song Dynasty, flower baskets were used in court ceremonies. Flower arranging later flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
A Qing Dynasty painting, Four Seasons Flower Baskets, served as the design inspiration for the flower basket at Tian’anmen Square.
This year’s design also introduces a change. For the first time, the basket uses an asymmetrical layout, giving visitors different views from different angles.
The arrangement includes 15 types of flowers, such as tree peonies, peach blossoms and herbaceous peonies, as well as five types of fruit, including pomegranates and longevity peaches.
The design also echoes the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period.
The tradition of creating a National Day flower display at Tian’anmen Square dates back to 1986. Over the past four decades, the designs have changed with the times.
In the 1980s, the displays mainly used plants to create flat patterns. In the 1990s, water features and fountains became part of the designs. Since the beginning of the 21st century, three-dimensional displays and giant flower baskets have become more common.
The displays have also marked important moments. In 1996, for example, a giant traditional lantern formed the centre of a display themed around Hong Kong’s return to China. Designs in 2000, 2005 and 2008 included elements celebrating Beijing’s preparations for and hosting of the Olympic Games.
A Familiar Sight
The flower basket now pays greater attention to environmental protection and the efficient use of materials.
In earlier years, the main flower displays could reach 70 metres in diameter and require about 400,000 potted plants. Today, the displays are more modest in size. The framework and flower materials are also reused where possible.
The design team has also brought in younger designers, adding new ideas to a tradition that has continued for 40 years.
For many visitors, however, the flower basket is less about design history than about a familiar part of National Day.
Bao Xiuzhen, 86, travelled from Sichuan to Beijing. It was her first visit to the capital, and she had long wanted to see Tian’anmen Square.
“I am very happy today. I have wanted to come to Tian’anmen Square all my life,” Bao said. “The journey was tiring, but that doesn’t matter. Seeing the flower basket makes me feel that my wish has finally come true.”
Standing at the centre of Beijing’s historic axis, Tian’anmen Square has long been one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks. The giant flower basket adds another layer to the annual National Day scene, framing the square and linking the national flag, Tian’anmen and the Monument to the People’s Heroes in the background.
For a few weeks each year, it becomes both a landmark and a meeting point — familiar to residents, yet new again to first-time visitors.
Additional reporting by HKCNA.
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