Hong Kong is due to stage a series of official activities on Friday to mark the 55th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

According a government press release issued Thursday, the festivities include a flag raising ceremony, a National Day reception, a fireworks display and hundreds of district events over the weekend.

The flag raising ceremony will be held on the National Day that falls on Oct. 1 at 8:00 a.m. at the Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC) in Wan Chai.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa, together with about 3,000 guests, including councilors, consuls, dignitaries, members of the uniformed groups and local groups will attend the ceremony.

The public are also welcome to attend the ceremony at a designated area of the Square large enough to accommodate about 800 people. The ceremony will also be broadcast live on local radio and television stations.

The National Day reception will follow the flag raising ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at the Grand Hall of HKCEC. The Chief Executive will host the reception for thousands of invited guests from various sectors of the community.

HK Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho, together with members of the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education and Commission on Youth, will hold a launching ceremony for a TV program "Our Home Our Country" at the reception.

The short television program aims at enhancing the sense of national identity among the general public. The program has, for the first time ever, adopted the national anthem "The March of the Volunteers" as the background

music. Starting from Friday, the program will be broadcast before the news main cast everyday on local Chinese television channels, including TVB Jade, ATV Home and Cable News.

The National Day celebrations will reach their climax with a spectacular fireworks display at 8:00 p.m. local time. Sponsored by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the 23-minute fireworks display will light up the sky over Victoria Harbor and tens of thousands of people are expected to be drawn to the waterfront and other vantage points.

Source: Xinhua