Nanning Residents Wait Overnight for National Day Flag-Raising Ceremony

What changed

On October 1, residents gathered overnight at Nanning’s Minzu Square for the National Day flag-raising ceremony. Some brought tents or rested through the night; at 8 a.m., families and visitors waved flags and sang the national anthem as the Chinese flag rose.

Why it matters

The ceremony turned waiting itself into part of the event. Parents brought children to experience the atmosphere in person, while one resident made the ceremony his first stop for visiting friends from Shenzhen.

That matters because the square became more than a viewing spot. Strangers shared a long night, then joined the same public ritual at dawn. The scene was intensely organized around national symbolism, but its human texture was simple: children, tired families, visitors, flags and a crowd singing together.

The account gives no attendance figure, and it does not show whether overnight waiting is common elsewhere. In Nanning, though, this National Day began hours before the ceremony officially did.