Chinese people observed Martyr's Day across the country to commemorate the memory of deceased national heroes.

A special ceremony was arranged at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. The ceremony was attended by the President Xi Jinping and other dignitaries including Premier Li Keqiang,  top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng, and top legislator Zhang Dejiang. Relatives of martyrs and people from all walks of life also gathered at the People's Heroes at Tian'anmen Square to honor their memory.

Like Us on Facebook

Special ceremonies were conducted all over the country. In Jiangsu Province, 95 newlywed couple laid flowers at Yuhuatai memorial park of martyrs in Nanjing City. The national anthem was sung, followed by a minute of silence. The ritual was attended by relatives of martyrs and soldiers.

Another public memorial ceremony was conducted in the Yingxiongshan martyrs' memorial park in Jinan City in east China's Shandong Province. Memorial parks for martyrs in Shandong also arranged for online memorial services so that people can pay their respects using their official website. Jiangxi province also celebrated the day with a special ceremony.

Martyr's Day was started in 2014 when China's legislature approved Sept. 30 as Martyrs' Day to remember the people who gave up their lives for national causes.

The government defines Martyrs as "people who sacrificed their lives for national independence and prosperity, as well as the welfare of the people in modern times, or after First Opium War (1840-1842)." China has about 20 million martyrs. The government said that currently, about 200,000 families receive martyr's government pensions. 

TagsMartyr's Day, Li Keqiang, Tiananmen Square