AUTHORITIES WERE leaving little to chance ahead of a major anniversary parade tomorrow to mark six decades of Communist rule in China, with many shops already shuttered and widespread traffic restrictions expected this afternoon as the town centre gears up for the arrival of tanks and rocket launchers.
The Forbidden City and the Great Hall of the People were closed yesterday, along with capitalist icons like Raffles hotel and Starbuck’s coffee shops, while police lined intersections on Chang’an Avenue, the city’s major east-west boulevard. There were also hundreds of yellow T-shirted volunteers in evidence.
“The anniversary is great. At least it can make people feel that our country is developing. It is a parade with Chinese characteristics. If we change it to a foreign “free style” to celebrate our country’s anniversary, I don’t think the Chinese will accept that. A great country needs a great anniversary. Some inconvenient traffic controls will not change my mind,” said He Chaojun (24) from Hunan province, who works for a TV company and is a Communist Youth League member.
At the underground stations, passengers had to run their bags through scanners, and tourists did some last-minute shopping in the Silk Alley mall before it too closed for the festivities.
Pyrotechnics artist Cai Guojiang, whose firework footprints in downtown Beijing were one of the highlights of the Olympics in August last year, is planning a series of “fireworks paintings”, but the event’s executive director, Jia Ding, was staying tight-lipped about what this might involve.
The focus of events on October 1st itself will be a speech by President Hu Jintao, who is head of the Communist Party as well as president and head of the military. This will be followed by an elaborate military parade, one closely watched by military analysts for signs of new and sophisticated tanks and rocket launchers.
Elaborate rehearsals in recent weeks have given a sneak preview of what to expect tomorrow, although letters have been issued forbidding residents living on Chang’an Avenue from opening their windows during the day. Balcony use is also forbidden, and no guests are allowed during the event. The deep rumble of hundreds of heavy military vehicles will give way to performances involving 200,000 people and 60 floats, and fireworks, and state media reports that there will be no flights in and out of Beijing Capital Airport for three hours during the parade. The restrictions are even tougher than those introduced for the Olympics.
There is widespread support among the people for the Communist Party, which has about 76 million members. “Under its protection I feel safe. I am pretty positive about China’s further development in future,” said Tong Yixiao (23), a researcher from Jiangsu who is a party member.
Gao Xingjian (22), a student from Jiangxi who is also a member of the party, believes the Communist Party is essential to maintain future stability in China.