First national Martyrs' Day remembers those who sacrificed for China

President Xi Jinping and state leaders attended a high-profile ceremony yesterday at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the first Martyrs' Day, in an apparent attempt to promote patriotism.

Members of the Communist Party's powerful Politburo Standing Committee and senior military officials observed a moment of silence and placed wreaths and baskets of flowers in front of the Monument to the People's Heroes.

Its foundation was laid by the country's founding leaders 65 years ago.

The National People's Congress announced the creation of Martyrs' Day in August. It honours those who died serving the nation, beginning with the first opium war with the British in 1840, and including Kuomintang soldiers who died during the second Sino-Japanese war.

More than 3,000 people, including relatives of martyrs and hundreds of schoolchildren, attended the ceremony, China Central Television reported.