China's southernmost city of Sansha holds national flag-raising ceremony

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's southernmost city Sansha in Hainan Province held a national flag-raising ceremony on islands, reefs, and ships on Tuesday, in order to celebrate the country's National Day.

On Yongxing Island, part of Sansha City, armed police officers and soldiers marched in step and escorted the Five-starred Red Flag towards the flagpole to hold a solemn flag-raising ceremony, as Tuesday marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

At 7:24 local time, people lined up in an orderly manner for the flag-raising ceremony on the National Day.

"Being able to raise the five-starred red flag with my own hands on this special day has further strengthened my determination and will to guard the southern gate of our motherland," said Wu Minjie, the flag bearer.

"My emotions are indescribable. With excited mood, I hope that Sansha City can be built even better in the future," said Chen Chenghua, veteran of the Battle of the Xisha Islands.

"As a young police officer of the new era, I will follow in the footsteps of my predecessors, work hard, and selflessly dedicate myself to safeguarding the security of our motherland. May our great motherland prosper forever," said Li Jiawei, police officer of Sansha Public Security Bureau.

After the flag-raising ceremony on Yongxing Island in Sansha City, a flash mob choir was organized, where everyone could voice their best wishes for the motherland.

The ceremony also took place on the Yongle Islands of the Xisha Islands on the National Day.

"On this special day, I wish our country prosperity and wish the people peace and happiness," Said Jiang Yutao, staff member of Yongle Working Committee in Sansha City.

A flag-raising ceremony was also held on various islands and reefs, such as Zhaoshu Island, Jinqing Island, and Meiji Reef in Sansha City, as well as on the law enforcement ship "Sansha Zhifa 301" and China's fishery administration vessel "Yuzheng 306" -- which are cruising and patrolling the waters of Sansha.

"May the motherland prosper and the people stay happy and healthy," said Xiang Guoxiang, captain of "Sansha Zhifa 301".

China's southernmost city of Sansha holds national flag-raising ceremony

Smart wearable devices are increasingly embedded in daily life in China, where booming sales of watches and smart glasses are reshaping the consumer electronics market.   In Beijing's Chaoyang District, smart watches have become a popular choice for shoppers seeking tools to monitor sleep, heart rate and stress.

"I often use my smart watch to monitor my sleep, heart rate, and stress. I hope it could also incorporate AI functions, allowing me to chat with it in-depth or help me complete some simple tasks," said a customer.

Beyond watches, smart glasses powered by large‑model technology are entering China's consumer market, reshaping the landscape of wearable electronics.

"It is more convenient to use smart glasses as earphones at work. This is my third pair of smart glasses, and the functions of the new one is much better than the previous ones," said a customer.

"Smart wearable devices have evolved significantly, shifting from simply displaying data to facilitating effective user interaction. As these product categories update at an accelerating pace and user demands grow increasingly diverse, manufacturers are compelled to accelerate their own cycles of innovation in both functional design and hardware configuration. Take smartwatches as an example: sales in this category have increased by more than 40 percent (compared to the same period in 2024)," said Zhang Jie, manager of Beijing Shuangjing Branch of JD Mall.

According to the latest worldwide quarterly wearable device tracker, in the first three quarters of 2025, global wrist-worn device shipments reached 150 million units, a year-on-year increase of 10 percent. 

Among them, China's cumulative shipments totaled 58.43 million units, representing a year-on-year growth of 27.6 percent. In the first half of 2025, the global smart glasses shipments reached 4.065 million units, a year-on-year increase of 64.2 percent, and China's cumulative shipments exceeded 1 million units.

China smart wearables growth fuels consumer electronics boom