China planning national Martyrs' Day

BEIJING - China is planning to set September 30 as Martyrs' Day to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for national independence and prosperity.

National commemoration activities will be held on the date, according to a draft bill submitted for discussion at the ongoing bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, to be held from Monday to Sunday.

The public have increasingly called for such a date to be set, said Li Liguo, minister of civil affairs, at the session.

The top legislature's setting the date will be significant to fostering patriotism and bolstering "core socialist values" among the public, he said.

The date is one day before China's National Day, when Chinese leaders lay flowers at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square, downtown Beijing.