The 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China () was observed with a series of ceremonial events including a grand military parade as its spotlight to celebrate National Day of the People's Republic of China that took place on 1 October 2019 in Beijing. It was the largest military parade and mass pageant in Chinese history.
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping, who was the guest of honour, gave the holiday address to the nation and Chinese expatriates before inspecting the formations along Chang'an Avenue. Premier Li Keqiang was the master of ceremonies and General Yi Xiaoguang was the chief commander of the parade.
Background
The CCP had defeated the Kuomintang Party following the Chinese Civil War, which occurred intermittently between 1927 and 1950 In the aftermath of the civil war, the Kuomintang and its loyalists then retreated to the island of Taiwan, formerly a prefecture of the Qing Empire, which had been under Japanese colonial rule from 1895 to 1945.
The founding of the People's Republic of China was formally proclaimed by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, on 1 October 1949 at 3:00 pm in Tiananmen Square in Beijing (formerly Beiping), the new capital (Nanjing had been the capital of the former Republic of China). The first public parade of the then new People's Liberation Army took place there, following the chairman's address of the formal foundation of the new republic. Before this, as the national anthem March of the Volunteers was played, the new national flag of the People's Republic of China was officially unveiled to the newly founded nation and hoisted for the first time during the celebrations as a 21-gun salute fired in the distance.
In its early years, the People's Republic of China was not internationally recognized as the Republic of China held its seat in the United Nations and the Security Council as the sole legitimate government of "China" by the United States and western nations. In 1971, the PRC was admitted to the United Nations and thus excluded the ROC from United Nations membership.
Since the establishment of the PRC, celebrations of varying scales occur on National Day each year. Military parades, presided over by chairman Mao Zedong, were held every year between 1949 and 1959, the first decade of the PRC. In September 1960, the Chinese leadership decided that to save funds and "be frugal", large-scale ceremonies for National Day would only be held every ten years, with a smaller-scale ceremony every five years. (The tradition of the yearly parade, though, would be partially revived with parades held in 1969 and 1970.) Since China's reform and opening up, the most prominent National Day celebrations have taken place in 1984, 1999, and 2009 at the 35th, 50th and 60th anniversaries respectively.
The 70th national anniversary parade was the fifth major parade since Xi Jinping took power as CCP General Secretary (China's paramount leader) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (Commander-in-chief) in 2012, and occurred with the mass protests in Hong Kong that have been on-going since 9 June as backdrop.
Preparations
The official logo for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China was officially unveiled by the State Council Information Office on 3 June 2019. Many celebrations throughout China and overseas Chinese communities were planned for the year of 2019. In early September, rehearsals took place in central Beijing for the military parade. General Cai Zhijun of the Joint General Staff said in a press briefing that it would not be targeted "at any countries or districts" but rather would be "committed to safeguarding world peace and regional stability". It was expected to be bigger than the parades commemorating the 50th and 60th anniversary of the PRC, as well as the 2015 China Victory Day Parade.
The capital was covered with red flags, adorning apartment compounds and neighbourhoods; banners reading "Today's China is the result of the work of Chinese people" were draped across overpasses, and topiaries were installed around the roads in Beijing. The authorities gave out 620,000 television sets allowing those not invited to still be able to watch the festivities.
Although a massive National Day fireworks display had been planned along the harbour in Hong Kong to celebrate the 70th anniversary – as it has done every year since 1997, Hong Kong government cancelled them "for safety reasons" over the protests in the city that have lasted since March. A more low-key celebration was planned in the territory.
Security The city of Beijing was in virtual lockdown in the run-up to the anniversary. Objects that could overfly the capital – for example kites, balloons, drones and even pigeons – were banned. The use of walkie-talkies and other devices using radio waves, as well as alcohol, also joined the list of things that were disallowed.
Weeks before the anniversary, motorists were prohibited from refuelling their cars or motorcycles on their own. During rehearsals for a military parade to mark the day, residents close to Tiananmen Square received instructions to stay away from windows and to keep their curtains drawn. Guests in hotels in the vicinity of Tiananmen Square were told that for several hours each day, they would not be able to leave or return to it for hours at a time. Shops and restaurants in the centre closed or shortened their opening hours; some metro stations were closed temporarily.
Media
China Media Group (CMG), the state-owned holding firm of the China Central Television (CCTV) network and the China Global Television Network (CGTN) international channels, was expected to mainly broadcast synchronously for domestic and foreign TV channels with CCTV-1 as the producing channel for the celebrations, while national, provincial and city broadcasters and TV stations, domestic internet video, portals, and live webcast sites also broadcast the event simultaneously via the CCTV-1 feed. CGTN broadcast the events live overseas and online, including on YouTube, in multiple languages. In addition, China National Radio and China Radio International, both also owned by CMG, served as the official radio stations broadcasting the festivities. On 4 September 2019, CMG held a mobilization meeting to celebrate the 70th anniversary. More than 260 representatives from its member companies attended the event.
Various overseas media also paid attention to the coverage of this event, and those who already met the conditions could broadcast it worldwide. The "press centre for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China" was based in Beijing's Media Center and was officially launched on 23 September.
A "special clean-up operation" was initiated targeting "harmful political information" and any Sina Weibo accounts or posts that "distort the history of the party and the country".
Musical concert
To mark the special anniversary of national foundation, on Sunday, 29 September, the celebrations began with the CCTV-produced musical concert gala The Nation Moves Onward aired nationwide on CCTV-1 live from the Great Auditorium of the Beijing Great Hall of the People, in which Central Military Commission (CMC) chairman and general secretary of the CCP Xi Jinping attended as guest of honour together with other party and national leaders, veterans of the PLA and other invited guests.
Wreath-laying ceremony
The 15th annual wreath laying ceremony in honour of the heroes and martyrs of the Chinese nation and people was held in earnest on 30 September, National Memorial Day, on the grounds of Tiananmen Square which CMC Chairman and General Secretary of the CCP Xi Jinping attended as guest of honour, together with other party and national leaders, veterans of the PLA, distinguished citizens, the Young Pioneers and representatives of the civil service and the private sector, in which flowers and wreaths were laid in the Monument to the People's Heroes.
In an earlier ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, 42 individuals, including several foreigners, were awarded by paramount leader Xi as part of the National Day honours list (several of the awards were posthumous) with national orders and decorations for merit and service to the republic and people as well as to contributing to enhanced ties with foreign countries.
Civil-military parade
Leaders in attendance Xi Jinping (CCP General Secretary, President and CMC chairman) Jiang Zemin (former General Secretary of the CCP, 1989–2002) Hu Jintao (former General Secretary of the CCP, 2002–2012) Li Keqiang (Premier, official master of ceremonies for the parade) Li Zhanshu (Congress chairman) Wang Yang (Conference chairman) Wang Huning (First Secretary of the CCP Secretariat) Zhao Leji (Secretary of Discipline Inspection) Han Zheng (First Vice Premier) Wang Qishan (Vice President) Li Ruihuan (former Conference chairman, 1993–2003) Wu Bangguo (former Congress chairman, 2003–2013) Wen Jiabao (former Premier, 2003–2013) Jia Qinglin (former Conference chairman, 2003–2013) Song Ping (former head of the CCP Organization Department, 1987–1989) Other CCP Politburo Standing Committee members and CCP Politburo members
Military parade
Infantry formation In order of appearance: People's Liberation Army Guard of Honour () PLA Leaders/Commanders Formation (, a combined battalion of commissioned officers from the CMC, various PLA and PAP branches) PLA Ground Force Formation () represented by the 82nd Group Army PLA Navy Formation () PLA Air Force Formation () represented by the Airborne Corps PLA Rocket Force Formation () PLA Strategic Support Force Formation () Joint Logistics Support Force Formation () People's Armed Police Formation () Female Soldiers Formation () Institute Researchers Formation (, a combined cadet battalion of PLA educational, research and development institutions) represented by officer cadets from the Academy of Military Science, National Defence University and National University of Defense Technology Civilian Staff Formation (, a combined battalion of civilian personnel in the CMC and PLA) PLA Reserve Service Forces Formation () Female Militia Formation (, from the Chaoyang District, nicknamed the "Iron Roses") Chinese Peacekeeping Forces Formation () represented by the 81st Group Army
Vehicle column In order of appearance: War Flag Formation (), represented by CSK-181 "Warrior" off-road vehicles bearing battle colours from 100 heroic companies from each service branch of the PLA Ground Warfare Module () Tank Formation (): Type 99A main battle tank Light Armor Formation (): Type 15 light tank, Type 04A infantry fighting vehicle Amphibious Assault Vehicle Formation (): Type 05A amphibious assault vehicle Airborne Combat Vehicle Formation (): Type 03 airborne infantry fighting vehicle Self-Propelled Artillery Formation (): PCL-181 truck-mounted 155mm gun-howitzer, PHL-16 long-range multiple rocket launcher Anti-Tank Missile Formation (): HJ-10 anti-tank missile vehicle Special Operations Equipment Formation (): CS/VP4 "Lynx" all-terrain vehicle, "Hunting Eagle" Assault Gyrocopter Armed Police Counterterrorism Assault Formation (): "Warrior" counter-terrorism assault vehicle, WJ-03B anti-riot armored vehicle Naval Warfare Module () Coast-to-Ship Missile Formation (): YJ-12B anti-ship missile Ship/Submarine-to-Ship Missile Formation (): YJ-18A anti-ship missile, YJ-18B submarine-launched anti-ship missile Shipborne Air Defense Weapon Formation (): HHQ-9B long-range anti-air missile, HQ-16 medium-range anti-air missile, HQ-10 short-range anti-air missile, H/PJ-11 CWIS Air Defense/Anti-Missile Module () Early-Warning Radar Formation () 1st Surface-to-Air Missile Formation (): HQ-9B long-range anti-air missile, HQ-22 long-range anti-air missile