PLA replaces Armed Police in raising flag
Dozens of soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army Guards of Honor raised the national flag at Tian’anmen Square in central Beijing on Monday morning.
The change means the PLA has replaced the Armed Police Force to guard the national flag and fire salute cannons, as ordered by the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Saturday.
National flags have been raised, lowered and guarded by People’s Armed Police officers at key sites such as government complexes, public squares and memorials. Armed Police were also responsible for firing cannons on important occasions like welcoming ceremonies for State guests.
At 7:32 am, 93 honor guards, headed by a flag bearer and two escort guards, marched out from the central gate of the Tian’anmen Rostrum and walked past 30 of their peers who came out before them to form two columns along Chang’an Avenue.
The marching guards then reached the restricted zone around the flagpole and stood in formation. At 7:36 am, an honor guard raised the national flag, which was accompanied by the national anthem played by a PLA band.
The PLA Guards of Honor was founded in March 1952 and has around 700 officers and soldiers in active service. Male guards must be at least 180 centimeters tall and female members at least 173 cm tall. They must be in very good shape, according to Colonel Han Jie, a commander of the guards.
More than 90,000 people from across the nation came to witness the spectacular ceremony in Tian’anmen Square, according to its organizers.
Wu Ting, from Foshan in Guangdong province, said she and five other parents brought 17 children to see the memorable event. The boys and girls, aged from 8 to 12, had traveled to Beijing to attend a children’s program at China Central Television during New Year’s weekend.
“We got up at 4:30 am and arrived at 6:30 am, and we will leave for Foshan this afternoon. The children told me that they are too excited to feel sleepy. They have a flag-raising ceremony at their school, but I believe today’s experience at Tian’anmen Square will be unforgettable to them,” she said after the ceremony.
All the spectators reached by a China Daily reporter said they were impressed by the ceremony, but some suggested that organizers may want to consider setting up amplifiers and large screens so people standing far from the flagpole can see and hear the event clearly.
With the new arrangements, after each day’s flagraising ceremony, three PLA honor guards, in the ceremonial dress of the Ground Force, Navy and Air Force, would stand guard around the flagpole until the flaglowering ceremony, performed by 66 guards.
Before the end of 1977, a national flag was raised at Tian’anmen Square only on important dates such as New
Year’s Day, Lunar New Year’s Day, May Day and National Day, and the task was undertaken by a worker from the former Beijing Electricity Bureau from 1951 to 1977, according to PLA Daily.
Starting at the end of 1977, soldiers from the PLA Beijing Garrison started to raise and lower the national flag at the square daily until December 1982, when the mission was transferred to the newly established Armed Police Force.
In addition to the ceremonial changes, Monday also marked a significant step in an ongoing reform of the Armed Police. The paramilitary force was placed under the unified control of the CPC Central Committee and Central Military Commission.
Under the new chain of command, Armed Police units take orders directly from the force’s headquarters, which, likewise, will follow directives from the Central Military Commission. The People’s Armed Police Force has been included in the Central Military Commission system and no longer takes orders from the State Council.