The Golden Bauhinia Square (Chinese: 金紫荊廣場) is an open area in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong. The square was named after the giant statue of a golden Bauhinia blakeana at the centre of the area, situated outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the ceremonies for the handover of Hong Kong and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was held in July 1997. A flag-raising ceremony is held every day at 8:00am. It is considered a tourist attraction.
The sculpture, a gilded flower bauhinia, is 6 meters high. The major part is composed of a bauhinia on a base of red granite pillar on a pyramid.
The sculpture is deemed an important symbol for the Hong Kong people after reunification. On the second day of Chinese New Year and National Day of the People's Republic of China, the square is lighted up by a firework show.
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The official daily flag raising ceremony at the Golden Bauhinia Square located outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is conducted by the Hong Kong Police Force. There are three types of ceremony: Daily Flag Raising Ceremony (Daily, every day except 1st of each month), Enhanced Flag Raising Ceremony (on the 1st of every month, except July and October) and the Special Flag Raising Ceremony (1 July and 1 October).
The daily ceremony includes regular attire and includes the playing of the national anthem, while the enhanced ceremony includes a flag-raising party of Hong Kong police officers, accompanied by a rifle unit all in ceremonial dress, and also includes the playing of the national anthem by the Police Band followed by a 10-minute musical performance by the Police Pipe Band.[1]
Since July 2008, on the second Sunday of each month, the flag raising ceremony is conducted by different local youth uniformed groups (UGs). The UGs conduct the daily flag raising ceremony (i.e. the flag party consists of five members: one commander, two national flag raisers and two regional flag raisers) without a band performance. The latest schedule in 2010 (as of late-May 2010): 13 June 2010: Scout Association of Hong Kong, 11 July 2010: Hong Kong St. John Ambulance Brigade Cadet Command, 8 August 2010: Civil Aid Service, 12 September 2010: Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps, 10 October 2010: Hong Kong Girl Guides Association, 14 November 2010: The Girls' Brigade (Hong Kong), 12 December 2010: The Boys' Brigade, Hong Kong.