Beijing started decorating Tian'anmen Square with large flower arrangements for National Day in 1984.

They have since become a tradition in the capital for the National Day holiday each October, and their design has developed over the years.

From 1986 to 1999, the display in the square featured blanket-shaped flower beds with a fountain in the center.

Then, from 2000 to 2010, the arrangement was like a picture scroll made of various types of flowers, with one scroll on the eastern side of the square and another on the western side.

Since 2011, the design has been a huge, basket-shaped flower arrangement, which has proved popular with the public.

Before 1990, it was not possible to use a large range of colors in the flower arrangements because the design was limited by the types of flowers available. But as the economy has grown and technology has improved, a bigger range of flowers－both domestically developed and imported－can be used.

Since 2014, 3D modeling and scanning technology have been used in the construction of the flower arrangement.

In recent years, lighting has been introduced for nighttime viewing, and the development of drip irrigation technology has made maintenance more efficient.