China National Day Parade, on Tiananmen Square Beijing
China National Day Parade, consisting of military parade and civilian parade, is held on October 1st of Chinese National Day on Tiananmen Square of Beijing. Large in scale, it is not held every year, only on some important anniversaries of the People’s Republic of China. The purpose of the Chinese National Day parade is to inspect the army, display the military achievements and the economic might of China. It is a grand event of the country. For military enthusiasts, it is the great chance to see some most advanced military equipment and weapons in real life.
When is the Chinese National Day Parade?
It is held on October 1st, the Chinese National Day, but not every October 1st. From 1949 to present, all together 15 China National Day military parades and 26 civilian parades have been held. The next parade will be on October 1, 2029.
A Full List of China National Day Military Parades
| Time | Number of Soldiers | What's Different | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct.1, 1949 | 16,400 | A part of the foundation ceremony of People’s Republic of China. |
| 2 | Oct.1, 1950 | 24,209 | China national emblem was hung on Tian’anmen Square. |
| 3 | Oct.1, 1951 | 13,348 | Jet planes and militias attended. |
| 4 | Oct.1, 1952 | 11,300 | Policemen attended. |
| 5 | Oct.1, 1953 | 10,038 | Artillery of rocket showed up. |
| 6 | Oct.1, 1954 | 10,384 | First review of paratroopers and last review of cavalries. |
| 7 | Oct.1, 1955 | 10,344 | The first military parade after adopting military ranks. |
| 8 | Oct.1, 1956 | 11,929 | So far the only once China National Day military parade held in rain. |
| 9 | Oct.1, 1957 | 7,064 | Domestic made bomb carriers and fighter planes joined in. |
| 10 | Oct.1, 1958 | 7,586 | Students from military schools were reviewed. |
| 11 | Oct.1, 1959 | 11,018 | Nearly all the military equipment and weapons were made in China. |
| 12 | Oct.1, 1984 | 10,370 | Missile array, armed policemen and female soldiers first appeared. |
| 13 | Oct.1, 1999 | 11,000 | Airmen from ground force and navy, marines, special policemen and reserve forces were inspected. |
| 14 | Oct.1, 2009 | 8,000 | Special troop, radar, unmanned fighter aircrafts, cruise missiles, and airborne joined in. |
| 15 | Oct.1, 2019 | 15,000 | The largest China national parade till now. 15,000 soldiers, 580 suit of equipment and over 160 aircrafts were reviewed in 15 walking formations, 32 equipment formations and 12 air formations. |
Schedule of China National Day Parade
The schedule may change slightly every time. But in general, it is held in the morning till noon. The first parts of Chinese National Day parade are Military Review and Military Parade; following is the civilian parade. In some years, only civilian parade is organized.
Military Review
The highest officer of Chinese Liberation Army reviews the army standing by on the Chang’an Avenue by open limo. During the review, the officer repeats “Salute to you, comrades!” and “Comrades, thanks for your hard work!” and the army replies “Hail to you, Chief!” and “Serve the people!” respectively.
Military Parade
The officer stand on the Tian’anmen Tower, together with other national leaders, military leaders and national or military leaders from other countries to watch the soldiers passing by in square array one by one, led by their direct commanding officers and every step with a length of 75cm (29.5in). The military equipment and weapons are also carried by car and showed in array after the walking array. At last, the airplanes fly across the Tian’anmen Tower in various formations. Some of the weapons may be first showed to the public.
Civilian Parade
It is held after the military parade and the number of attendants is usually greater than the number of soldiers attending the military parade. For example, in 2019, about 100,000 civilians attended the China National Day parade, more than 6 times of the soldiers. The civilians come from all walks of life, including workers, teachers, students, businessmen, sportsmen and deliverymen, etc and even foreigners who have made contributions to China. A highlight of the civilian parade is the parade floats. They are of great regional characteristics and show people the recent achievements of China.
Why is the Chinese National Day Parade Held on Tian'anmen Square?
There were two candidates for the site of the first military and civilian parades on Oct.1st, 1949, Tianan’men Square and Xiyuan Airport, a military airport near Beijing.
Tian’anmen Square was in the city center with dense roads stretching to all directions, convenient for the civilians to come and leave. What was more, the grand and solemn Tian'anmen Tower could be used as the observatory directly. The problems were that: the traffic would be blocked for at least 4 hours during the parade; and the then road in front of the Tian’anmen Square was not wide enough.
Xiyuan Airport had wide runways and space, which would not block the traffic. Also, a successful military parade had just been held there several months ago. The problems lied in that: additional observatories needed to be built in a short time and they might not be as grand as the Tian’anmen Tower; the far distance from downtown brought inconvenience for civilians who would attend the parade.
After careful thinking and discussion, the national leaders finally choose Tian’anmen Square. Following the tradition, the later Chinese National Day Parades were all held there and for the convenience of the parade, the road has been widened.
Can I Watch the China National Day Parade on Site?
No. Due to the limited space around Tian’anmen Square and for safety reasons, only those who have been invited can go to watch the Chinese National Day parade on site. These people are usually representatives in their fields. Actually, the neighborhood is closed during the parade and others are not allowed in, even for other purposes.
But don’t be regretful. The whole China national parade is on live broadcasts on TV and online. You can watch it via any channel of CCTV. 
See also:
China National Day Celebration in Golden Week of October