September 17, 1949 - Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Adopts National Symbols

On September 17, 1949, you'll find that the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference provisionally adopted "March of the Volunteers" as China's national anthem — lyrics by Tian Han and music by Nie Er. The CPPCC then finalized the five-star red flag, named Beijing the capital, and set October 1 as National Day on September 27. These decisions collectively launched the PRC's founding identity, and there's much more to uncover about what each choice truly meant.

Key Takeaways

• On September 17, 1949, the CPPCC provisionally adopted "March of the Volunteers," composed by Nie Er in 1935, as China's national anthem.
• The anthem's lyrics were written by Tian Han in 1934 and served as a wartime rallying cry during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
• The five-star red flag was formally adopted on September 27, 1949, designed by Shanghai economist Zeng Liansong from roughly 3,000 submissions.
• The flag's large star symbolizes the Chinese Communist Party; four smaller stars represent the four social classes of New Democracy.
• Red on the flag evokes revolution and prosperity, while yellow stars symbolize brightness, nobility, and good fortune.

What Was the CPPCC's Role in Founding the PRC?

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) didn't emerge from a vacuum — it grew out of China's revolutionary struggles and evolved through the country's push toward socialist governance. You can trace its legitimacy building directly to its role as a platform uniting diverse political parties, ethnic groups, and social forces under Communist Party leadership.

When the Kuomintang dissolved the Political Consultative Conference in November 1948, the CPPCC replaced it, pursuing united frontization by gathering patriotic forces across China. At its First Plenary Session in September 1949, it exercised supreme state power, adopted the Common Program as a provisional constitution, and elected the Central People's Government Council — formally laying the legal and political foundation for the People's Republic of China. The session also made foundational national decisions, including designating Beijing as the capital and setting October 1 as National Day.

The First Plenary Session was held on September 21, 1949, in Peiping, with attendees representing a broad coalition including the Communist Party of China, other democratic parties, mass organizations, ethnic groups, and overseas Chinese. Among its landmark decisions, the session adopted "March of the Volunteers" as the national anthem.

What the CPPCC Actually Decided in September 1949

When the CPPCC's First Plenary Session wrapped up on September 30, 1949, it'd made decisions that would shape China for decades.

Through structured legislative procedures and complex delegate dynamics reflecting ethnic representation across 662 members, the session finalized China's foundational framework.

Policy debates produced concrete outcomes you can still trace today:

• Adopted the Common Program as China's provisional constitution
• Selected the five-star red flag, national anthem, and Gregorian calendar
• Elected Mao Zedong as chairman of the Central People's Government Council
• Renamed Beiping to Beijing and designated it as the capital

These weren't symbolic gestures.

The CPPCC exercised full legislative authority until 1954, meaning every decision carried genuine constitutional weight for the newly proclaimed People's Republic. The session opened on September 21, 1949, with Mao Zedong delivering his landmark speech declaring that the Chinese people "have now stood up".

The CPPCC was established as an important institution of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under CPC leadership, designed to enhance unity among ethnic groups, political parties, and social sectors across China.

The Five-Star Red Flag and What Each Star Represents

Among the decisions the CPPCC made on September 27, 1949, none became more visually iconic than adopting the five-star red flag. When you look at the flag's star symbolism, you'll find deliberate meaning behind every element. The large central star represents the Chinese Communist Party, while the four smaller stars symbolize the four social classes of New Democracy: the working class, peasantry, urban petite bourgeoisie, and national bourgeoisie. Each small star points one tip toward the large star's center, depicting unity around Party leadership.

The color meanings are equally intentional. Red evokes revolution and prosperity, carrying deeply positive connotations in Chinese culture. Yellow stars symbolize communism's brightness, nobility, and good fortune. Together, these elements created a flag that visually communicated the new republic's ideology from its very first unfurling. The flag's design was the work of Zeng Liansong, an economist from Shanghai who drew inspiration from gazing at the night sky.

Before arriving at this final design, the CPPCC reviewed approximately 3,000 submissions from designers across the country, making the selection process one of the most expansive national symbol competitions in modern history.

How "March of the Volunteers" Became China's Provisional Anthem

Before "March of the Volunteers" became China's provisional anthem, it had already earned its place in the nation's heart as a wartime rallying cry. Its wartime adoption crossed political lines, uniting factions against Japanese invasion. On September 17, 1949, the CPPCC made it official — provisionally.

Here's what shaped its journey:

• Tian Han wrote the lyrics in 1934; Nie Er set them to music in 1935
• Its lyrics evolution moved Chinese anthems from classical to vernacular language
• Nationalist and communist forces both used it during the Second Sino-Japanese War
• It replaced the Republic of China's "Three Principles of the People" anthem on adoption day

You're looking at a song that fought its way into history long before any government claimed it. The song's original title was "March of the Anti-Manchukuo Counter-Japan Volunteers," reflecting its direct ties to resistance against Japanese invasion of Manchuria.

The National Emblem's Hidden Symbolism Explained

While the anthem stirred hearts through sound, China's national emblem communicates through symbols — and every element earns its place.

You'll notice Tiananmen Gate at the center, anchoring the design to revolutionary history since the May Fourth Movement. Above it, five stars mirror the national flag — one large star for the Communist Party, four smaller ones representing workers, peasants, urban petite bourgeoisie, and national bourgeoisie.

The hidden iconography extends further. Wheat sheaves and rice ears border the emblem, honoring agricultural workers, while a cogwheel at the bottom represents industrial labor.

The color semantics are equally deliberate — red signals revolution and martyrs' sacrifice, yellow radiates brilliance against that revolutionary ground. Together, these elements don't merely decorate; they declare the ideological foundation of the People's Republic itself. The emblem was officially adopted June 28, 1950 by the Central People's Government Council, cementing these symbols into the constitutional identity of the nation.

China's tradition of emblematic design predates the People's Republic by decades, as the Republic of China's 1912 national emblem was created by Lu Xun, Qian Daosun, and Xu Shoushang from the Ministry of Education and drew upon ancient imperial symbols known as the Twelve Ornaments.

The National Seal: China's Highest Symbol of State Power

Beyond symbols etched in metal and fabric, China's national seal carried the weight of sovereign authority itself. Established October 1, 1949, this seal embodied the highest power the people conferred upon the Central People's Government.

Seal craftsmanship and ceremonial protocols defined its purpose precisely:

• Applied to decrees, orders, and official instructions
• Used during national ceremonies and government issuances
• Distinguished sovereign authority from ordinary administrative documents
• Represented revolutionary power transition following CPPCC decisions

You can still witness this artifact today, displayed at the History Exhibition Hall of the Communist Party of China. Though no longer active, it remains a powerful reminder that governance requires tangible symbols to legitimize authority. In a comparable tradition, Taiwan's Seal of the Republic of China is crafted from emerald jade, underscoring how precious materials have long been chosen to convey the gravitas of state authority.

Its creation marked China's definitive break from previous governmental structures, signaling a new sovereign era. The seal's printing surface measures 9 cm per side, with a chapter body thickness of 2.5 cm and a handle length of 10.9 cm, reflecting the precise craftsmanship invested in this instrument of state authority.

How the PRC Established October 1 as National Day

On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China from Tiananmen Gate before 300,000 witnesses, raised the national flag for the first time, and watched the People's Liberation Army conduct its first formal military parade. This calendar reform replaced October 10, the Republic of China's former National Day, with a date reflecting the new government's authority.

Ma Xulun had proposed October 1 on September 9, 1949, and the CPPCC unanimously adopted it. On December 2, 1949, the Central People's Government formalized the public holiday through an official resolution.

Days later, the State Council designated October 1 and 2 as holidays for all citizens. These state rituals, repeated annually starting in 1950, shaped regional reactions nationwide, anchoring October 1 as China's defining commemorative date. In 1999, the holiday was expanded into a seven-day vacation period to allow citizens greater time for travel and family gatherings. Today, hundreds of millions of people participate in National Day celebrations annually, spanning travel, relaxation, and shopping across the country.

Why the 1949 CPPCC Selected Beijing as China's Capital

When the CPPCC convened in 1949, it didn't choose Beijing arbitrarily—the city carried centuries of imperial weight.

You'll find that several decisive factors drove this selection:

• Northern powerbases mattered enormously; Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties all governed from Beijing to stay near their power centers
• Imperial symbolism reinforced CCP authority, connecting the new republic to China's dynastic legacy
• Beijing's name literally translates to "Northern Capital," directly contrasting the KMT's southern-based Nanjing
• Controlling the north proved strategically essential for consolidating nationwide CCP power

The Nationalist government's 1927 Nanjing shift—and Beijing's subsequent renaming to "Beiping"—only confirmed what the CCP understood: restoring Beijing's capital status signaled a definitive break from Nationalist rule while reclaiming China's historical governing tradition. To further bind the sprawling nation together, the Ming dynasty had constructed the Grand Canal, stretching some 2,500 km to connect southern commercial hubs directly to Beijing. Much as Canada's transcontinental railway had been designed to bind distant regions into a single national framework, Beijing's selection as capital served to anchor China's vast territory under centralized Communist Party authority. Political observers had long anticipated Beijing's restoration as capital, a view shared by American China expert Doak Barnett, who spent years in the country documenting the Communist rise to power.

Why the New PRC Switched to the Gregorian Calendar in 1949

Although China had already adopted the Gregorian calendar under the Republic of China in 1912, the PRC's 1949 resolution formally abolished the ROC era system and standardized the Common Era (公元) numbering—making 1949 the current year rather than the ROC's year 38.

Calendar politics drove this decision as much as practicality did. The Gregorian adoption signaled a clean ideological break from Nationalist rule while aligning China with international standards for trade, diplomacy, and administration. You'll notice the PRC didn't need to skip dates since China had followed the Gregorian calendar since 1912.

Traditional holidays like Chinese New Year kept their lunisolar timing, but official documents and national anniversaries moved entirely to Gregorian dates, ending the dual-calendar confusion that had persisted for decades. The Gregorian calendar itself had originated from Pope Gregory XIII's 1582 reform, introduced to correct a small but accumulating error in the Julian calendar's calculation of the year's length. The 1949 resolution was later included in the Zhongyang Renmin Zhengfu Faling Huibian and applies to Hong Kong and Macao as part of the national laws of the PRC. This restructuring of governance frameworks shares parallels with Canada's 1996 Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management, which similarly established new administrative codes to replace existing governing provisions.

How 1949's Symbol Choices Still Define China Today

The symbols chosen in those first weeks of the PRC aren't just historical artifacts—they actively govern how China presents itself today. Cultural continuity and global perception both hinge on decisions made in 1949. You can see their reach everywhere:

• The unchanged flag flies at every official ceremony worldwide
• The national emblem appears on passports, currency, and government buildings
• The 1982 Constitution legally mandates these symbols across all state organs
• Xi Jinping's 2021 centennial celebrations directly linked them to modern governance

Nothing about these symbols has been revised despite decades of administrative shifts. That deliberate permanence reinforces a singular national identity connecting 1.4 billion citizens to the worker-peasant revolution. What started as CPPCC decisions now shapes how the entire world reads China's authority. The CPPCC emblem incorporates a map of China to represent the unity of the entire Chinese people, including those in Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities. The national anthem, "March of the Volunteers," was originally written in 1935 to honor those who fought Japanese invaders in northeast China before being formally adopted decades later.