National Day Pigeons
Beijing celebrates National Day with the traditional release of ten thousand homing pigeons.
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About 10,000 pigeons took part in this year’s National Day release, and many returned to their owners’ lofts within minutes—sometimes before the broadcast had finished announcing their release.
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Veteran keeper Li Zhaoli said he began raising pigeons at age eight or nine and has contributed dozens of birds to ceremonial releases over four decades, even though his own pigeons did not fly in this year’s ceremony.
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The route into Chinese government service involves distinct processes: Party applicants are recommended, investigated and approved by Party organisations, and usually serve a probationary period; the civil-service examination is a separate route for government recruitment.
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Beijing’s pigeon-keeping tradition is maintained by an ageing generation of residents whose hutong neighbourhoods have gentrified; Li keeps his birds in a loft above his 22-square-metre home, now surrounded by upscale shops and restaurants.
Beijing released about 10,000 homing pigeons over Tiananmen Square on October 1 for China's National Day, a ceremonial tradition that marks the 1949 founding of the People's Republic The Age. Many birds returned to their owners' lofts within minutes—sometimes before officials finished announcing the release The Age.
The pigeon release is maintained by an aging generation of Beijing keepers whose hutong neighborhoods have gentrified around them. Veteran keeper Li Zhaoli, who started raising pigeons at age eight, has contributed dozens of birds to ceremonial releases over four decades, though his own pigeons did not fly this year The Age.
A 10,000-Bird Spectacle That Finishes Fast
The October 1 ceremony sends thousands of pigeons skyward in a symbolic display of peace and unity. The Age reported that this year's release included about 10,000 birds, with many returning home almost instantly. Some arrived back at their lofts before the live broadcast even finished announcing they had been released.
Beijing's Pigeon Keepers Face Gentrification Pressure
The tradition depends on a shrinking community of pigeon enthusiasts in Beijing's old hutong neighborhoods. Li Zhaoli keeps his birds in a loft above his 22-square-metre home, now surrounded by upscale shops and restaurants The Age. He began keeping pigeons as a child and has spent four decades training birds for ceremonial releases, though younger residents rarely follow the hobby.
National Day Marks 75 Years of Communist Rule
October 1 commemorates the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. China's history under Communist rule spans Mao Zedong's political revolution, Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms, and Xi Jinping's push for technological self-reliance. The pigeon release is one of many ceremonial traditions that frame this legacy for modern China The Age.
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