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SCMP Reporters

This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Download our app to get faster notifications.
Hong Kong is marking National Day on Tuesday with a raft of activities as the city goes all out to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has given a speech at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, with local and central government officials as well as top business leaders attending.
A record-breaking 400-plus events will be held in the city’s 18 districts. Cinemas, restaurants and shopping centres are also offering special discounts.
Local businesses will also be hoping the city can attract an influx of mainland Chinese tourists to help bolster the retail scene as the seven-day “golden week” holiday begins.
Follow our live blog for the latest happenings on National Day, a public holiday locally.
Reporting by Willa Wu, Angeline Jiang, Fiona Sun, Leopold Chen, Oscar Liu, Wynna Wong, Harvey Kong, Jess Ma, Ambrose Li, Danny Mok and Jeffie Lam.


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Hong Kong society

The flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai. Photo: Sam Tsang

News

Hong Kong

Society

Politics

More than 400 events will be held as Hong Kong marks 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China


More than 400 events will be held as Hong Kong marks 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.


Golden week

John Lee

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong tourism

Tourism

Chinese tourists

Hong Kong culture

Hong Kong transport

Hong Kong politics

Live

Thousands of revellers who flocked to the West Kowloon Cultural District on Monday were left disappointed after a patriotic musical performance and drone show were abruptly cancelled.
The event would have seen a 1,000-strong student choir perform as 2,099 drones took to the sky. The number of drones was specially chosen – combining 2024 for the current year with 75 for the number of National Days celebrated by the country.
The display would have also centred around themes of “Standing Up”, “Growing Prosperous” and “Becoming Strong”.
But the show was cancelled due to severe interference affecting signals, with the government apologising to the guests, performing students and groups who had been waiting for the show.



Monday drone show cancelled

Tram rides are free on Tuesday. Star Ferry trips between Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui and Central are also free.
Passengers using Octopus cards on the MTR, Light Rail and MTR Bus will receive a 25 per cent discount.
Children using Octopus cards can ride designated daytime bus routes of KMB, Long Win Bus and New Lantao Bus for free, and enjoy free rides on Citybus by using electronic payment methods.



Free Star Ferry and tram rides

Hong Kong is hosting more than 400 events to celebrate National Day this year, a record for the city.
Officials have said the events aim to create a “lively atmosphere” to foster patriotism and deepen young Hongkongers’ understanding of the country’s development and achievements.
But the cost of the events has remained undisclosed, with Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city’s No 2 official, merely saying the spending is “worth it”.
The Home Affairs Department said earlier this year that it had spared HK$27 million to fund National Day activities.


Record number of events

More than 3,600 restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and convenience stores are marking the big day with discounts, with some promotions to extend beyond Tuesday.
Three major supermarket chains – Wellcome, ParknShop and City’super – and convenience store chains Circle K and 7-Eleven will join the celebratory campaign for the first time this year.
Other restaurant businesses offering National Day discounts include large chains such as Cafe de Coral, Fairwood, Maxim’s Caterers and the LH Group, as well as fast-food firms McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut.


Celebratory offers from restaurants

Tuesday is expected to be very hot, with temperatures reaching up to 33 degrees Celsius as Super Typhoon Krathon approaches.
But the Observatory says the typhoon will not pose a direct threat to the city. The mercury is also likely to drop later on as a northeast monsoon approaches Guangdong.



National Day heats up

The Travel Industry Council has estimated that the city will welcome as many as 1.2 million mainland visitors during the National Day “golden week” holiday, representing a 10 per cent increase from last year.
In the first eight months this year, 23 million mainlanders visited Hong Kong, a year-on-year increase of around 39 per cent.
But the city’s retail and catering sectors have said they are still facing hurdles as many Hongkongers opt to spend their holidays across the border.



More than 1 million mainland visitors expected

Chief Executive John Lee, along with senior government officials, attends a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square, just outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, before heading inside for a reception.
The event includes a fly-past and a sea parade by the city’s disciplined services.






Raising of the flag

Among those attending the flag-raising ceremony under the scorching sun are former city leaders Leung Chun-ying, now a vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
City’s first postcolonial leader Tung Chee-hwa, a former CPPCC vice-chairman whose health has been a source of concern in recent years, has given the event a pass. His last public appearance was at a film premiere in July 2021.
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung and Zhang Yanxiong, director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, are also among the attendees.
Other Beijing outposts in the city, such as the liaison office, the central government’s foreign affairs arm, the Office for Safeguarding National Security and the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong garrison, also held separate flag-raising ceremonies earlier.




Flag-raising ceremony attendees

A regular police presence is spotted near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, where the National Day reception is being held.
Three officers are deployed at a nearby railway station, with another five patrolling the footbridge linked to the centre. About 10 others are spotted at the centre entrance.
No protests are seen outside the centre, similar to ceremonies held in recent years after Beijing imposed the national security law on the city in 2020 in response to the social unrest the year before.


Regular police presence

Chief Executive John Lee says it is the first National Day since the government fulfilled its constitutional responsibility in enacting the domestic national security law, while the district councils have also been revamped under the “patriots-only” principle.
He says Hong Kong has remained a participant and beneficiary of the country’s development, and always has strong backing from Beijing.
Over the past five years, Hong Kong has been actively fostering the development of the Greater Bay Area, he says.
The bay area, Beijing’s initiative to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in neighbouring Guangdong province into an economic powerhouse, offers immense opportunities, Lee says.


‘First National Day since domestic security law enacted’

Lee hails the country’s recent achievements in aerospace science and technology, calling the selection of the first Hongkonger to serve as a payload specialist in the national manned space programme a “new breakthrough”.



‘New Breakthrough’

Lee says the city will continue to use its distinctive edge of enjoying the strong support of the nation while being closely connected with the world under the “one country, two systems” governing principle.
The city will continue to improve people’s livelihoods, grasp development opportunities while strengthening its maritime and logistic industries to consolidate Hong Kong’s role as a hub, he says.
Lee also cites a recent study by the China Development Institute in Shenzhen and London think tank Z/Yen Partners, which shows Hong Kong has become Asia’s top financial centre and the world’s third. He says it shows the city’s resilience and decent business environment.
The government’s efforts in luring talent have also paid off, he says.



Playing to strengths of ‘one country, two systems’

Lee recites a line from a poem as he concludes his speech. The same line was used by President Xi Jinping in an Apec summit back in 2013 and a reception of the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The poem portrays a magnificent painting of a powerful and endless sea and a boat beginning its voyage and braving the winds.
The line - “Fair winds and following seas” - carries the poet’s best wishes to his friends.



‘Fair winds and following seas’

Lee concedes that Hong Kong is now under critical economic transformation with challenges ahead.
But he stresses that there are even more opportunities out there, pledging to seek changes, remove obstacles, strengthen and boost Hong Kong’s edges and contribute to the country’s development.



Hong Kong under ‘critical economic transformation’

John Lee lays out the government’s three key directions: improving people’s livelihoods; prioritising the safeguarding of national sovereignty; and contributing to national development.
He says his administration has managed to turn Hong Kong’s economy around from negative to positive growth. The median monthly earnings of full-time employees have risen by more than 10 per cent, or HK$2,800, he adds.
Placing the defence of national sovereignty as his top priority, Lee also pledges to strengthen the “mainstream values” characterised by patriotism and the “one country, two systems” approach. The government will unite different sectors and turn patriotism into “actual actions”, he says, echoing similar remarks made by Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Office, to him last month.
Lee says Hong Kong will strengthen its role as a “superconnector” and “super value-adder”.
Apart from strengthening its own international competitiveness, it will also actively develop the Southeast Asian and North African markets which fall under the national Belt and Road Initiative, and strive to attract high-level talent from around the world, he says.
The initiative is China’s plan to grow global trade.


Three key directions

The arrival concourse of West Kowloon station gets busy on Tuesday morning, the first day of the National Day “golden week” break.
More staff members are on duty to help visitors swipe tickets or ID cards to get out of the station, point out directions and explain how to get Octopus cards.
Many people are gathering in groups to read maps, switch data plans, and contact friends and hotels.



Busy high-speed railway

Rockie Ip Ting-kwok, director of the firm Harbour Cruise – Bauhinia, says that there will be three cruises operating on Tuesday night, carrying 1,100 people in total for sightseeing, especially for the fireworks display.
He says one of the cruises features a buffet priced at around HK$750, excluding service charges, but sales are slow.



Harbour cruises catering to tourists

Annie Fonda, executive director of the Travel Industry Council, says more than 900 tours are planned, with 36,000 visitors coming for the National Day “golden week” holiday.
She says the number of tours has increased by 20 per cent compared with last year.
The council, a federation of trade associations, is monitoring crowd control measures of restaurants, she says, adding operators have hired many part-time staff.


More than 900 tour groups planned

Shi Xinran, a student travelling from Xi’an, says he has always been taught about the “one country, two systems” principle, calling Hong Kong a world-famous financial centre.
“That is why it has been on my list for a while,” the 21-year-old says.
He and his friend are planning to go sightseeing in the city for a day and spend another in Disneyland. They have booked a room for around HK$750 per night in Chungking Mansions.
Another visitor, Zhang Fang, 23, is most excited about the fireworks display on Tuesday night. Zhang is visiting Hong Kong for the first time and plans to stay for a night before heading to Zhuhai, Macau and Shenzhen.
The tourists have been keen to visit the city since seeing pictures and videos of last year’s show.


First-time visitors

Hong Kong deputy to the country’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress, says organisers of the drone show should prepare a contingency plan to address unexpected issues, such as the event’s cancellation on Monday night.
“Future show organisers are advised to simply provide viewers, who spend hours waiting for the show, a small present each to console them,” he tells the Post at the sidelines of the national reception.
“It is all about managing audiences’ expectations.”


Contingency plan needed