National Day of the People's Republic of China  National Day (), officially the National Day of the People's Republic of China, is celebrated annually on October 1 as a public holiday in the People's Republic of China commemorating the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 during the later years of the Chinese Civil War and the Kuomintang retreat to Taiwan. Although it is observed on October 1, another six days are added to the official holiday, normally in lieu of the two weekend breaks around October 1, making it practically a public holiday comprising seven consecutive days also known as Golden Week () with specifics regulated by the State Council. Festivities and concerts are usually held nationwide on this day, with a grand military parade and mass pageant event held on select years. , the last parade was held on the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China in 2019. The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, with a ceremony celebrating the forming of the Central People's Government taking place in Tiananmen Square on the same day that year. The first public parade of the new People's Liberation Army took place there, following the address by the country's first Chairman Mao Zedong officially declaring the formal establishment of the Republic. The Central People's Government passed the "Resolution on the National Day of the People's Republic of China" on December 2, 1949, and declared that October 1 is the National Day. National Day marks the start of the only Golden Weeks in the PRC that the government has kept. Removing one of the Golden Weeks caused controversies when it happened in 2007. The day is celebrated throughout mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau with a variety of government-organized festivities, including fireworks and concerts, as well as sports events and cultural events. Public places, such as Tiananmen Square in Beijing, are decorated in a festive theme. Portraits of revered leaders, such as Mao Zedong, are publicly displayed. The holiday is also celebrated by many overseas Chinese. From 2004 to 2013, a national wreath-laying ceremony was held on National Day in Tiananmen Square following the flag raising ceremony on years with no parades, with the ceremony focused on the Monument to the People's Heroes, built in 1958 in remembrance of the millions of Chinese who perished during the long years of national struggle. Beginning in 2014, they have been held on a new holiday, National Memorial Day, set on the eve of National Day, September 30, and is presided by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (China's paramount leader) and other party and state leaders.