China commemorated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 2019. President Xi Jinping of China, flanked by Premier Li Keqiang and former Chinese Presidents, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, oversaw a civilian and military march pass at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, attended by guests from Africa and the rest of the world.  Dressed in grey Mao suit, described by a reporter as a display of Communist Party unity, President Xi gave an address from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the same spot where Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The parades started with marching troops, a military band and artillery gun salute, and went solemn as President Xi descended to the street of the square and on to his fast-moving open-topped black limousine car, from where he shouted “Hello comrades” as he passed

by each group of 15,000 troops, along with parked armoured vehicles, rows of missiles, and other arrayed weapons. Attended by 100,000 participants, the event witnessed a colourful parade showcasing China’s economic growth and technological innovations, highlighting communist China’s achievements. After the military aspect of the parade was over, 70,000 balloons and 70,000 doves, symbolising peace, were released into the air on the square. 

Large groups of civilian Chinese waved flags as they quickly marched pass a reviewing stand with current and former Chinese leaders and guests on the Gate. The civilian parade featured tributes to former leaders from Mao Zedong. A group rode bicycles to show how china was several years back, other groups highlighted the opening of the economy in the 1980s, the return of Hong Kong and Macao to China in the late 1990s and the 2008 Olympics.