Chinese National Day memories and wishes

This undated photo shows soldiers celebrate the National Day. (Xinhua Photo)

Gazing at an old black-and-white photo of Tiananmen Square in 1979, Jiao Li recalls celebrating the National Day as a child.

"I was six and had just started school," said the 41-year-old accountant at a state-owned petroleum firm in Beijing. "It was Oct 1, the National Day. The square was so crowded that it was hard to move. My father carried me on his back most of the time."

As a child, she felt the visit to Tiananmen every fall was like a pilgrimage. "I never asked why. It was just a routine way for most Beijing families to celebrate the National Day. Many elderly people also joined the crowd -- some in wheelchairs."

Her family's annual pilgrimage began in the late afternoon, just in time to see Tiananmen as the sun set. Traffic was at a standstill for three kilometers surrounding the square, forcing them to walk to their destination. When they finally returned home, it was nearly midnight.

"Tired as I was, I used to find those trips exciting because I had no other chance to stay up that late," said Jiao.

Jiao remembers those trips as inspiring. "Everyone -- my parents, teachers and the anchorman on TV -- kept telling us to 'work harder and grow up to serve the motherland'."

She stopped her annual pilgrimage to Tiananmen after she went to university in Shanghai in the fall of 1992.

"Over the decades, the National Day decorations in the square have changed dramatically: from simple plastic lanterns in the 1970s to neon lights and laser lights in the 1980s. This year, they've even used 3D-printed flowers."

Jiao took her son to Tiananmen only twice on National Day and only because homework assignments required he write with a holiday theme. "He apparently did not enjoy the trip. He's used to traveling around by car, but there was no parking anywhere near Tiananmen, so we could only take the crowded subway."

This year, her son Chen Yuhang is looking forward to the National Day for different reasons. For the 12-year-old, the week-long holiday is a time for outings, films, feasts and computer games.

The sixth-grader, however, has a dream closely related to National Day. He hopes he can enter Beijing National Day School, one of the best middle schools in the capital, next year.

"He's working hard these days for that purpose and I fully support him," said Jiao. Unlike her parents who taught her to "serve the motherland," she tells her son to "become a man of integrity and always try to achieve his personal best."

RED-LETTER DAY

On Oct. 1, 1949, Mao Zedong stood at the Tiananmen Rostrum to declare the founding of the People's Republic of China. Two months later, the Chinese government declared Oct. 1 National Day.

For An Hongrong, 84, it was a red-letter day: she was in the lucky crowd of people who were handpicked to witness the historical moment at Tiananmen.

"My colleagues and I were quite close to the rostrum and I could clearly see the expression on Mao's face," she said in an interview with Xinhua Monday.