A series of official and community celebration activities will be held in Hong Kong on Saturday to mark the 56th National Day of the People's Republic of China.

According to a government press release, major celebration activities include a flag raising ceremony and a morning reception, as well as a variety show and a fireworks display in the evening.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government will hold the flag raising ceremony at 8 a.m. at the Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC).

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang will join some 800 guests including government officials, members of the consular corps, dignitaries and community leaders at the ceremony. About 800 members of the uniformed groups and 800 members of local organizations will also participate in the ceremony.

The police band and a mixed choir of Diocesan Boys School and Diocesan Girls School will perform at the ceremony, followed by a sea parade and a fly-past by the disciplined services.

The National Day reception, to be hosted by the Chief Executive, will be held after the flag raising ceremony at the HKCEC Grand Hall. About 4,000 guests, including members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, consular corps, heads of missions in Hong Kong, senior government officials and members of various community sectors have been invited to the reception.

Apart from performances by the police band and the mixed school choir, there will also be dancing performances by the Hong Kong Dance Federation at the reception.

In the evening, the Organizing Committee of Compatriots in Hong Kong for Celebration of the 56th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China will organize a singing and dancing performance at 7 p.m. at Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom.

A spectacular fireworks display, sponsored by the Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce Limited, will start at 9 p.m. It will last for about 23 minutes.

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2005)