The Hong Kong SAR on Thursday enthusiastically launched a serious of colorful celebrations to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The city-wide all-day celebrations began with the traditional flag-raising ceremony at 8 am at Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying joined the ceremony with some 2,500 invited guests, senior officials and community groups.

Following the flag-raising ceremony, Leung spoke during the annual National Day reception in the morning in front of 4,000 guests. In a forward-looking speech, the Chief Executive urged people from Hong Kong to engage more with their mainland counterparts, so everyone can work together on national development.

The highlights of the celebration were the 23-minute fireworks display over Victoria Harbour in the evening. This is the first fireworks display since the tragic Lamma Island ferry collision in 2012.

A total of 23,888 sets of fireworks exploded, dazzling the sky above Hong Kong. Enthusiastic residents had flocked to the waterfront of Victoria Harbour early on Thursday to get a good spot to witness the fireworks.

Other memorable celebrations were hosted by Hong Kong people - including a number of variety shows.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 10/02/2015 page4)