Firework displays dazzle

Display location:Victoria Harbour
City:HK
Date:Oct.1

Details: At least 350,000 people lined up on both sides of Victoria Harbour last night to watch a spectacular fireworks display marking the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

Tens of thousands more watched from vantage points in the Mid-Levels while millions took in the display, organized by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, on television.

Meanwhile in Beijing, the sky was ablaze with equally dazzling fireworks.

Designed by Cai Guoqiang, known for his work in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, three giant "fireworks paintings" depicting Chinese landscapes were hung by 250-ton cranes over Tiananmen Square. They created a 90-meter by 25-meter pyrotechnic "curtain" - the largest of its kind in the world.

Sixty "birthday candles" also exploded into the skies to commemorate the years since the founding of the People's Republic. The 33-minute show featured about 42,000 shells and more than 4,000 performers.

In Hong Kong, a total of 32,000 fireworks arranged in nine themes were set off. The climax was an arrangement of four characters spelling out "China 60" - 30 times each on the Hong Kong island and Tsim Sha Tsui sides of the harbor. The 23-minute extravaganza was accompanied by marching band songs, including Yellow River and Pearl of the Orient.

Multicolored lotus flowers, hearts, and smiling faces brightened the night sky in quick succession. A final explosionof lights accompanied by a musical crescendo rounded off the show.

The weather also cooperated, the forecast of scattered showers failing to materialize.

The 60th anniversary celebrations began early in the day with the flag- raising ceremony at Wan Chai's Golden Bauhinia Square.

About one thousand people had gathered at the square before the 8am ceremony at which the National Anthem was played. This was followed by a reception at which Secretary for Justice Wong Yan-lung, as acting chief executive, addressed the hundreds of VIPs and invited guests.

"Hong Kong has had an irreplaceable role to play" in the nation's reform and opening-up process over the last 30 years, Wong said after taking the stage following a cultural performance.

A carnival at Victoria Park featuring magic shows, lantern displays and game booths - jointly hosted by the Home Affairs Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department - also drew hundreds in the afternoon.