Xi to pay tribute to national heroes on Martyrs' Day

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders will present flower baskets to fallen national heroes at Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing on Wednesday morning to mark the country's Martyrs' Day.

The leaders will be joined by representatives from all walks of life at the ceremony, which will be broadcast live by the China Media Group.

In 2014, China's top legislature adopted the decision to establish Martyrs' Day. Observed on Sept 30, one day before National Day, the day commemorates those who gave their lives for national independence and prosperity.

Since the first Martyrs' Day, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has maintained the tradition of paying homage to fallen heroes on the day.

This year marks the 77th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China and the 105th founding anniversary of the CPC.

It also marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, which lasted from 1934 to 1936. A themed exhibition is being held at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing to commemorate that epic military trek.

During the Long March, the CPC-led Red Army soldiers braved raging rivers, snow-covered mountains and treacherous grasslands, with some marching as far as 12,500 kilometers.

The arduous journey helped lay the foundation for the eventual victory of the Chinese revolution.