Macao holds flag-raising ceremony to celebrate National Day

China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Thursday morning held a flag-raising ceremony at the Golden Lotus Square to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

At 08:00, a flag-bearing contingent composed of the Police Tactical Intervention Unit, a subordinate of the Public Security Forces Affairs Bureau of Macao, escorted the national flag and the Macao SAR flag into the square in a Chinese-style marching step.

This marks the first time members of the Public Security Forces Affairs Bureau have participated in a flag-raising ceremony using Chinese-style drill formations. To match the style, the contingent wore brand-new uniforms and was equipped with brand-new gear.

Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai attended the ceremony, along with heads of central government agencies in Macao and people from all walks of life in the region.

China's expressways are expected to see traffic volume of about 62.8 million vehicles per day during the National Day holiday from Oct 1 to 7, the Ministry of Transport said on Wednesday.

Travel during the holiday is expected to be dominated by long-distance, cross-regional tourism trips and family visits, involving longer travel distances and a broader geographic spread.

From Oct 2 to 6, the total expressway traffic is expected to stay approximately between 62 million and 64 million trips per day.

During the period, new energy vehicles (NEVs) is expected to account for around 16.8 million, roughly 27 percent of the total average daily traffic volume and 1.8 times the daily average.

To facilitate travel for NEV owners, the State Grid Corporation of China, the country's largest state-owned utility company, has planned to pre-deploy 435 emergency charging units at locations where queues are likely, strengthening its emergency support capacity.

"We have currently integrated video monitoring for major charging stations, enabling real-time remote oversight of charging activity. We have also deployed dedicated staff on-site to manage traffic and guide drivers to charge in an orderly manner," said Shi Shuanglong, director of the monitoring center of the smart vehicle network platform under the State Grid.

During the holiday, traffic volume and the number of self-driving trips to Shihu Lake scenic area in east China's Suzhou City increases significantly. To meet the surging tourist charging demand, local power utility has put into operation an intelligent super-charging station, which intelligently allocates power output based on each vehicle's requirements.

Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, another popular tourist destination during the holiday, has installed photovoltaic power generation facilities for 40 charging units at a service area, enabling more efficient use of clean energy.