China’s ‘national flag baby’ raises flag, captivates millions

China’s ‘national flag baby’ raises flag, captivates millions

by Joseph Anthony
344 views
Feng Jianhan, 9, poses for a picture in military uniform next to a Chinese flag that he raises every morning through rope and pulley at his home in Xian, Shaanxi province, China September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Irene Wang

Feng Jianhan, 9, puts on his olive-colored army uniform, cap and white satin gloves each morning, and goosesteps across his living room.

As the national anthem plays in the background, he stands by a home-made pulley system, solemnly hoists the Chinese national flag and raises hand to cap in a salute.

Dubbed the โ€œnational flag babyโ€ by Chinese media, the boy has captivated the country, appearing on videos and TV shows, especially in the run up to Communist Chinaโ€™s 70th anniversary on Tuesday.

โ€œIโ€™ve made raising the flag my daily habit,โ€ said Feng. โ€œJust like brushing my teeth or washing my face, you canโ€™t not brush your teeth or wash your face.โ€

The boyโ€™s father, Feng Xie, said Jianhanโ€™s habit started when he was a toddler. Upset one day, he stopped crying when he heard Chinaโ€™s national anthem playing on TV during a flag-raising ceremony.

Since then, his parents have played the national anthem and shown him recordings of flag-raising ceremonies to soothe him whenever he was crying.

As Jianhan grew, he wanted to enact the flag raising ceremony in his home and asked his parents for a uniform, a flag and a pulley system to raise it.

โ€œWe didnโ€™t know where to buy them,โ€ his father said.

But slowly, it all came together.

Material for the uniform came from bedding sold at an army surplus market; the flag from a flag seller, and the pulley system from a construction supplies store.

The boy now has bigger dreams.

โ€œI want to raise the flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing,โ€ he said, in reference to the square in the center of the nationโ€™s capital where a daily flag raising ceremony takes place.

REUTERS

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