Events to mark Martyrs' Day

President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Communist Party of China and the State will attend a ceremony on Thursday at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing to honor and remember deceased national heroes on Martyrs' Day, which falls on Sept 30.

This year marks the centenary of the founding of the CPC. At the ceremony, the Chinese leaders and representatives of all walks of life will gather and present flower baskets to the people's heroes to mark Martyrs' Day on the eve of National Day.

China Media Group will broadcast the event live.

Martyrs, as defined by the government, are "people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity, as well as the welfare of the people in modern times－after the First Opium War (1840-42)".

China's legislature, the National People's Congress, approved Sept 30 as Martyrs' Day in 2014, to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for national causes.