[1] It was formed on 23 November 1984 in the aftermath of the state celebrations of the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

It has also provided ceremony duties such as the march in of the Flag of China during social events such as the 11th Asian Games, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the World Conference on Women, 1995.

Domestic events included all Chinese National Day Parades and the 2015 China Victory Day Parade, during which it raised the flag of China at the outset and provided ceremonial security for the inspection.

The Beijing National Color Guard Company of the People's Armed Police, active from 1984 to 2017, was responsible for the execution of the raising and lowering the national flag at Tiananmen Square every day.

[6][7] In 2018, the People's Liberation Army took control of the ceremony from the PAP following the attachment of the National Color Guard Company to the PLA Honour Guard, which according to the Xinhua News Agency, marked a "new era" of national civil-military ceremonies.