China Celebrates 60th Anniversary of Communist Revolution
The celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party's victory in China's civil war included scores of synchronized dancing performers and students waving colorful banners and props. China's military brought its latest weaponry to the National Day parade Oct. 1 in Tiananmen Square.
Oct. 1
Participants march in National Day celebrations in Beijing. The official New China News Agency said a 200,000-square-foot, three-ton cloth painting titled "This Land Is So Rich and Beautiful" was to be held aloft by 2,009 armed policemen. Music was performed by 1,500 military band members, a 2,100-member adult chorus, a youth chorus of 300 and a 130-member orchestra.
China formally kicked off its mass celebrations of 60 years of communist rule with a 60-gun salute that rung out across Beijing's historic Tiananmen Square earlier today. Hundreds of thousands of participants marched past Tiananmen Square in costume or uniform, with floats and dancers mingling with soldiers and military hardware. Collected here are photographs of the once-in-a-decade National Day parade in Beijing, and of others commemorating the anniversary elsewhere. (39 photos total)
3 In this aerial photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, participants take part in a parade of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, on Chang'an Street in central Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Xinhua)