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Fireworks are seen in the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009. (Xinhua/Liu Yu)
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BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A grand evening gala to celebrate New China's 60th founding anniversary started Thursday evening at the Tian'anmen Square when 60 birthday-candle-shaped fireworks exploded into the sky and lit up the vast square.
Red, pink, white and orange fireworks shot up into the night sky, lighting up the Tian'anmen Rostrum and 56 giant decorative columns, which were set up on the square to represent China's 56 ethnic groups.
That was the beginning of a 33-minute fireworks feast in the evening. Earlier this month, the Beijing Daily quoted pyrotechnist Ding Zhenkuan as saying that the display would send nearly 42,000 shells into the sky, doubling the number fired at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony last August.
Following candle-shaped fireworks, a teenage boy, standing at the podium for the flag-raising ceremony, played with a trumpet the melody of the song of "My motherland".
As the boy was playing the trumpet, more than 4,000 performers gathering under the podium began to play the magic effects of more than 4,000 LED-light-equipped trees.
Vice director of the gala, Zhao Dongming, called the performance as "light cube", referring to the well-known Olympic architecture "Water Cube", or the National Aquatics Center. The building, equipped with LED lights, can put on various colors at night.
The performers of the "light cube" displayed a rolling effect of the 60 years from 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, to 2009. Fireworks meanwhile again shot up and exploded in the night sky, creating the Arabic numeral of "60," symbolizing New China's 60th birthday.
Seconds later, a fireworks-armed curtain, standing opposite to the Tian'anmen Rostrum, was ignited and began to explode. The exploding fireworks on the curtain -- 90 meters wide and 25 meters high -- created the sun, river, waterfall and mountains, representing the vast land of China.
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A grand performance is staged in the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009.(Xinhua/Zhang Ling)
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China's National Day celebrations conclude with ode to motherland
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's grand celebrations of the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic concluded Thursday evening after a chorus by about 60,000 people including President Hu Jintao and other leaders.
Amid applause, cheers and fireworks, the leaders walked into the joyous crowd on Tian'anmen Square, dancing and singing the classic "Ode To The Motherland". Full story
Chinese leaders join crowd at National Day gala
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders joined tens of thousands of people Thursday evening at a grand gala celebrating New China's 60th birthday.
Amid applause, cheers and fireworks, they walked into the joyous crowd after watching the evening gala that turned Tian'anmen Square a sea of festivity. Full story
Fireworks portrays Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Shenzhou space shuttle
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid applauses and excited exclamations from the audience, a firework drawing portraying a train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway lighted the Tian'anmen Square and dazzled all on the scene.
The firework drawing was displayed on a screen-like installation on the Square. Gunpowder was fixed on thousands of spots on the screen and were lighted in a preset order to "draw" pictures. Full story
Fireworks dragons at National Day evening gala
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Golden dragons formed by fireworks rose above the Tian'anmen Square about half an hour after the National Day evening gala began Thursday in Beijing.
The vivid fireworks dragons flew over about 60,000 people cheering and dancing on the square. Full story
Girl sends off wishes for homeland
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- As a six-year-old girl drew a flying dove of peace on her painting plate under the national flagon Tian'anmen Square, the second chapter of a grand gala in Beijing Thursday evening marking the 60th founding anniversary of New China unfolded.
The chapter is designed as an ode to the motherland of the Chinese and is considered the most romantic episode themed with peace and wishes for a bright future. It opened to the tune played by pianist Lang Lang and against the background of a gigantic "light cube". Full story
Ethnic unity highlighted at China's National Day evening gala
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ethnic unity became a major theme of a grand gala in Beijing Thursday evening marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Dressed in traditional festive costumes of different ethnic groups, tens of thousands of performers danced joyously to the rhythm of famous folk songs of different ethnic groups on Tian'anmen Square in downtown Beijing.Full story
National Day evening gala warms up with song "I Love China"
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The grand National Day evening gala on Tian'anmen Square warmed up when about 60,000 people began dancing to the popular song "I Love China" Thursday evening.
At the center of the square, about 4,000 performers in a huge formation waved large peony bouquets and formed Chinese knots. When music changed, flowers and knots were suddenly replaced by an ocean of red ribbons. Full story
Special Report: 60th Anniversary of Founding of PRC
