China’s National Day holiday gets under way with huge basket of flowers in Tiananmen Square
Giant centrepiece erected to celebrate 68th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic
After five months in production and at least 70 design tweaks, the annual floral celebration of China’s National Day holiday has gone on display in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Measuring 17 metres in height and 50 metres in diameter at its base, the massive basket is overflowing with artificial fruit and flowers. Standing on a carpet of red and yellow blooms, it is a garish centrepiece for the events held to mark the founding – on October 1, 1949 – of the People’s Republic of China.
Lan Hailang, the chief designer of this year’s floral arrangements, which run along Chang’an Avenue to the square, was quoted by Beijing News as saying that the final design came after dozens of rejections and revisions.
“From the beginning till the end, we submitted at least 70 to 80 proposals,” he said. “The whole process was like building a pyramid.”
Lan, who has worked on the National Day flower displays for about 20 years, said that close to 100 experts had been involved in this year’s design. Construction of the piece began in April and it was ready to go on show in early September, he said.