Ian_Lee Posted January 23, 2004 at 08:59 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 at 08:59 PM Have you attended any flag hoisting ceremony in any Chinese cities? The experiences can be quite rewarding. The most famous experience is the one held at Tiananmen Square where three tall PLA soldiers goose-stepping at dawn into the square. (I heard that there is strict requirement on how tall those soldiers have to be.) The most adorable gesture is the flipping-out of the flag by the soldier in the center before it is hoisted up the flag pole. The cracking sound of the cloth with the strong wind heard in complete silence that precedes the singing of national anthem really demonstrates how solemn the ceremony is! I advise fellow posters to attend the ceremony held in special day like 1 Aug or 1 Oct. But you have to watch out on the time because the exact time that the ceremony takes place may be varying slightly. There is strict rule that the national flag must be hoisted (down to the minute) exactly at the time the sun shows its first beam. Such data is provided by the Observatory at Purple Golden Mountain in the vicinity of Nanjing. For Taipei, the ceremony can be also overwhelming. Just on 1/1/04, people gathered around the boulevard in front of the Presidential Palace as early as 4 a.m. The flag was hoisted at exactly 6:30 a.m. and followed by national anthem and slogans like "Long Live ROC" echoed by the President and opposition party politicians alike! In HK, the flag hoisting ceremony is held at the Golden Bauhinia Square just next to the Convention Center in Wanchai. The flag is not hoisted until 8 a.m. everyday and three times a month the Police Band will play the national anthem by Scottish Bagpipe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confucius Posted January 23, 2004 at 09:31 PM Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 at 09:31 PM I went to Tiananmen a couple years ago on October 1 and took photos of the flag lowering ceremony in the late afternoon. I got a nice one of the flag precisely at half mast with Mao Zedong's picture in the background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kurochan Posted February 8, 2004 at 07:53 PM Report Share Posted February 8, 2004 at 07:53 PM A student of mine, from Shandong of course, told me they always choose Shandong men to do the Tiananmen Square flag raising because they are "the most man." I asked him to clarify, and basically he meant they were the tallest and the most macho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confucius Posted February 9, 2004 at 01:46 AM Report Share Posted February 9, 2004 at 01:46 AM You know, Confucius is a Shandong man. (Just in case anybody forgot!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.