Square to be adorned with flowers and fruit

A huge basket-shaped flower arrangement themed "Blessings to China" will be installed in Tian'anmen Square, under the decoration plan for the square and Chang'an Avenue for the upcoming National Day holiday and 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Unveiled by the Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau, the plan will also feature fruit ornaments for the first time this year.

The National Day holiday begins on Oct 1, and the congress will open on Oct 18.

Besides the basket, 14 additional flower terraces will be displayed along Chang'an Avenue to show China's achievements.

Construction work began on Monday and is expected to be finished by Sept 25.

The main flower arrangement in the center of the square, which has been an annual National Day decoration since 2011, will be 17 meters high this year with its flower container at a height of 15.3 meters and a diameter at the base of 50 meters.

The slogan "Blessings to China, 1949-2017" will be written on the south side of the flower container, and "Welcome the 19th National Congress" will be written on the north.

The arrangement will be engraved with heart patterns on the bottom, implying good wishes to the Communist Party and to China, the authorities said.

Cheng Si contributed to this story.