State Council hosts banquet in honor of National Day

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-01 07:29

Premier Wen Jiabao delivers a speech during a banquet marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing September 30, 2009.[Xinhua]

China's State Council held a grand reception at the Great Hall of the People yesterday evening to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic.

President Hu Jintao and other Communist Party of China (CPC) and State leaders, including Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, attended the reception with more than 4,000 others.

Addressing the reception, Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to maintain the sustainability and stability of the country's macro economic policy to achieve steady and rapid economic development and contribute to global economic recovery.

The country would stick to its policy of regional ethnic autonomy in minority areas and ethnic and religious policies to reinforce and develop socialist ethnic relations, with equality, unity, mutual-assistance and harmony, Wen said.

Wen extended festive greetings to people of all ethnic groups in China and cordial greetings to compatriots in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and Taiwan and abroad on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

Wen also expressed gratitude to foreign friends present and all other international friends who had shown great interest in, and rendered support for, China's modernization drive.

State Council hosts banquet in honor of National Day
China's State Council, or Cabinet, holds a grand reception marking the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, September 30, 2009.[Xinhua]

As the People's Republic of China celebrates its 60th anniversary, patterns of the number "60", and the national flag - the five-star red flag - can be seen everywhere throughout the country, even on children's heads.

In a barbershop in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Huang Xianlong, 5, smiled at his new hair style comprising four Chinese characters Guo Qing Kuai Le, which means "Happy National Day".

"I saw people wearing the same haircut on TV, " said Huang's mother. "I think it is a creative way to deliver our best wishes to our motherland."

"This month, we have served more than 100 children who ordered the National Day-themed haircuts," said Wang Qian, manager of the "Qiangzhongqiang" barbershop.

Patterns of the five-star red flags and characters of Zhong Guo Wan Sui, meaning "Long live China" and Wo Ai Zhong Guo, meaning "I love China" were among the most popular, Wang said.

In East China's Fujian province, Ruan Xiaorong, a 55-year-old photographer, started searching four months ago for people who were born on National Day.

After traveling 8,000 km, Ruan took pictures of 60 people aged from 1 to 60, who were not only all born on the National Day which falls on Oct 1, but also named after the day, Guo Qing.

The pictures, which form a giant number "60", are displayed in the provincial library from Sept 27 until tomorrow.