Though there’s still a while to go before dawn, thousands of people have gathered in the iconic heart of Beijing, Tiananmen Square. They will wait in the cold for hours just to witness the precious moment of the New Year’s first national flag being raised at sunrise. It is their way of welcoming the new year.
The ceremony started at around seven Beijing time, as guards of honor marched out of the Forbidden City, escorting the national flag towards the flag pole
As the national anthem played, people sang along and offered their wishes for the New Year…
Such enthusiasm in welcoming the New Year has actually been geared up since the countdown the night before. Freezing temperatures have failed to cool it down, and it’s an attitude shared not just in Beijing, but across this vast country.
After the painful lessons learnt from the stampede disaster that killed dozens of people last year, people in Shanghai… with hundreds of security guards on duty… ushered in the New Year in much more organized and stable public order.
2015, for better or worse, is gone for good. The New Year has begun with fresh promise, and here’s our right chance to start again. Happy New Year!
