Xi pays tribute to national heroes on Martyrs' Day

Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Communist Party of China and the state attended a ceremony on Friday morning in Tian'anmen Square in Beijing to present flower baskets to fallen national heroes.

The event was held to mark Martyrs' Day, a day ahead of the National Day in China.

The other leaders included Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. They were joined by representatives from all walks of life at the ceremony.

At 10 a.m., all participants sang the national anthem, and paid a silent tribute to the martyrs who had sacrificed their lives to the liberation of the Chinese people and the building of the People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949.

Nine huge flower baskets were placed in front of the Monument to the People's Heroes. Xi and other leaders walked up to the foot of the monument, where he straightened the ribbons on the baskets before leading other senior officials in a walk around the monument to pay their tributes.

The baskets, with ribbons reading "the heroes of the people shall live forever in our memory," were presented in the name of the CPC Central Committee; the National People's Congress Standing Committee; the State Council; the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; the Central Military Commission; non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and patriots without party affiliations; people's organizations and people from all walks of life; veterans, retired senior cadres and the relatives of martyrs; and Chinese Young Pioneers.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Party, the armed forces, and the people of all ethnic groups have been forging ahead in solidarity, achieving historic accomplishments and transformations in the cause of the Party and the state.

Sustaining the spirit of the martyrs and drawing on strength from it, China will surely write a more glorious chapter on the new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advance toward the Second Centenary Goal.