China's national flag will fly at half-staff from Saturday to Wednesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the official Xinhua News Agency said on Tuesday. In Beijing, tens of thousands of flags will be lowered to half-staff from Saturday to Wednesday, the first national holiday since the COVID-19 outbreak. The holiday is also the first holiday after the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, concluded its annual session on Monday. "This is the first time that the national flag will be lowered to half-staff in all of China's more than seven decades of history," said Zhang Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. "The national flag is a symbol of the Chinese nation and a living testament to the Chinese people's perseverance and resilience," Zhang said. "The national flag should not only be respected and protected, but should also be promoted and used in various forms to promote the development of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people. "He added that the national flag should be used in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's