The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army （PLA） Guard of Honor performs the national flag-raising duty in Tiananmen Square， Beijing， on January 1.

More than 90，000 people waited for several hours on the wintry morning to be part of the ceremony. It signaled the start of a new daily routine for the PLA to raise the national flag in Tiananmen Square. Previously， the ceremony was conducted by an armed police unit.endprint