A grand flag-raising ceremony was held at the Tian'anmen Square on Thursday to mark the first day of 2026, with large crowds of people watching the solemn and dignified moment despite biting cold.
As soldiers on the Tian'anmen Rostrum blew bugles, members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Guard of Honor began marching toward the square, escorting a giant red five-star national flag of the People's Republic of China.
The ceremony unfolds as a patriotic gathering, with visitors braving the cold winter morning. They've waited hours to share this moment of national pride, in the hope of extending their best wishes for the new year.
As the sun slowly rose above the horizon, the military band began playing the Chinese national anthem, and the giant five-star red flag was hoisted to the top of the mast.
When the flag reached the highest point of the mast, the crowd at the square erupted in applause and cheers.
The band played "Ode to the Motherland", and then white doves, symbolizing hope for peace, were released at the ceremony.
New Year flag-raising ceremony held at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing
New Year flag-raising ceremony held at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing
New Year flag-raising ceremony held at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
