The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region also held a flag-raising ceremony and cocktail reception to celebrate this occassion. CGTN's Li Jiejun was there, and brought us this report.

 

A solemn flag-raising ceremony was held at 8 a.m. local time for the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

 

About 2,400 people, including invited guests, government officials, and members of uniformed and community groups, attended the event. The Police Band performed at the ceremony and a student choir sang the national anthem. The ceremony also attracted some 1,000 local residents and tourists.

 

HONG KONG RESIDENT "We are happy to see that our country grows stronger. As a Chinese, we feel so proud. So long as our country is good, Hong Kong can be good."

 

HONG KONG RESIDENT "My son was told by his teachers that there would be a flag-raising ceremony on the National Day. He asked me to bring him to watch. He got up at 5 a.m. today, and was very excited."

 

Then, Chief Executive Carrie Lam hosted a reception at the Exhibition & Convention Center.

 

CARRIE LAM HONG KONG SAR CHIEF EXECUTIVE "President Xi Jinping stated clearly that Hong Kong has always had, and will continue to have the strong backing of our motherland. The continuous development and growing prosperity of our country not only gives Hong Kong strength to rise to challenges, but also provides opportunities for Hong Kong to explore new directions for its development, and to seek new impetus as well as an expanded scope for such development."

 

Carrie Lam's speech was echoed by many people in Hong Kong. They are proud of the country's development.

 

JONATHAN CHOI CHAIRMAN, CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE "It's the National Day. The mid-autumn festival is coming. And the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is going to be held soon. We are very happy and excited. I think the upcoming event will bring our country big changes."

 

CHOW PAK-CHIN CHAIRMAN, WISDOM HONG KONG "After 68 years of development, China has stood up. And the country is getting rich. Now we hope it can get much stronger. I hope the Chinese dream can be realized in my lifetime."

 

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Analysts say the city should strengthen integration with the Chinese mainland. With the central government's firm support, Hong Kong can continue prosperity under the "One country, two systems" policy.

 

LI JIEJUN HONG KONG "The fact that Hong Kong is part of China is obvious among most people here. But some activists are advocating independence. The SAR government says the young people should know more about the country and seek opportunities in its fast economic development. LJJ, CGTN, HK."