Military officers and soldiers were seen training in preparation for the upcoming National Day parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, after the military parade training center in Beijing opened to the media on September 17.
On the training field, lines of troops wearing green uniforms of the army, white uniforms of the navy and blue uniforms of the air force were practicing different parade moves one after another.
With temperatures still high at the end of summer, their clothes were soaked with sweat.
Zhang Hongjie, the military flag holder in the phalanx of the honor guards, has participated in several past parades. Zhang told reporters that the average age in his phalanx is 20.
Although Zhang and his team members are very experienced, the parade requires such precision that rulers are used to make sure every step is exactly the same.
The upcoming parade will for the first time feature a Chinese peacekeeping force, which will be led by Major General Xu Youze. Xu told the Global Times that having a peacekeeping force in the parade shows China's responsibility as a major country in the world.
Xu, 55, joined the training with younger team members and saw his weight drop from 71 to 64 kilograms. "As a team leader, I must be the benchmark for the team," he said.
Wearing white berets, light blue military uniforms and white boots and holding guns, female members of the militia phalanx who come from government organizations, schools, hospitals and companies in Beijing's Chaoyang district also trained hard.
When they just started training, they had weak foundations, but improved very quickly after undertaking one hour of physical exercises every day in the initial stage, said Zhu Deyou, the phalanx leader, noting that the militia phalanx can now march in a very orderly manner.
The training center also provides logistical support facilities such as a hospital, a food supply center and a tailor station.
Staff members at the tailor station told the Global Times that crotches, trouser legs and armpits of clothes and soles of shoes are the areas that see the most wear and tear. Many clothes need to be tailored into smaller sizes because parade participants have lost weight significantly since the training started.
Three joint rehearsals have been successfully conducted in downtown Beijing since September, and the actual parade will be held on October 1.
