50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China

The 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China took place on 1 October 1999.[2][3] A military parade was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and various celebrations were conducted all over the country. China's paramount leader Jiang Zemin inspected the troops along Chang'an Avenue in Beijing. This parade was immediately followed by a civilian parade.

50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China
庆祝中华人民共和国成立50周年活动
Type 98 tanks on parade
GenreMilitary parade, mass pageant, music and dance gala
Date(s)1 October 1999
FrequencySelect years[upper-alpha 1]
Location(s)Chang'an Avenue, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China
Coordinates39°54′26.4″N 116°23′27.9″E
Years active71
Inaugurated1 October 1949 (1949-10-01)
Previous event35th anniversary of the People's Republic of China
Next event60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China
ParticipantsNational leaders, PLA, PAP, the Militia, and other formations
LeaderJiang Zemin (general secretary and chairman)
PeopleLi Xinliang (chief commander of the military parade)

Civil-Military Parade
Military vehicles were shown in the celebration of the 50th anniversary.

It was the first one to be held since 1984 since the 1989 parade celebrating the 40th anniversary was cancelled due to the Tiananmen Square protests. Known as the Chinese Army’s Trans-Century Parade due to 1 October 1999 being months away from the turn of the 21st century, it was commanded by the Commander of Beijing Military Region Li Xinliang and inspected by then-Chairman of the Central Military Commission and General Secretary of the CCP Jiang Zemin. It was the first time that the sole Chinese leader (who served as party leader, head of state and Commander-in-Chief by this time) had inspected the parade. It was also the first time that the national flag was raised before the parade began.[4] 42 divisions (formations) took part in this parade: 17 from the ground column and 25 from the mobile column.

List of participating divisions

In order of appearance (A bolded unit indicates that this is its first appearance):

Armored forces and artillery accounted for 70% of the parade while the airborne portion was increased to 10%.

Military bands and parade music

Military bands in attendance

A 1,100 piece band was present for the musical accompaniment to the parade. The bands were organized as follows:

Music

In order of performance:

  • Welcome March (欢迎进行曲)
  • March of the Volunteers (National Anthem of the People's Republic of China) (义勇军进行曲)
  • Military Anthem of the People's Liberation Army (中国人民解放军进行曲)
  • Troops Review March of the PLA (Inspection March of the PLA) (检阅进行曲)
  • The People's Army is Loyal to the Party (人民军队忠于党)
  • Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention (三大纪律八项注意)
  • Military Academy Song (军校之歌)
  • A Soldier of the People (当兵的人)
  • Parade March of the People's Liberation Army (分列式进行曲)
  • March of Armored Vehicles (战车进行曲)
  • Song of the Loyal Guards (忠诚卫士之歌)
  • March of the Artillery Force (炮兵进行曲)
  • People's Navy, Forward (人民海军向前进)
  • Rocket Forces March
  • March of the PLA Air Force (中国空军进行曲)

References
  1. 新中国历次大阅兵 [New China's previous grand military parades]. Chinese government web. Xinhua News Agency. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/01/world/half-century-china-celebration-day-joy-jubilation-all-very-carefully-staged.html
  3. http://www.81.cn/jsdj/2019-09/24/content_9634257.htm
  4. 国旗护卫队由36人增至88人8
  5. http://eng.mod.gov.cn/SpecialReports/2009-08/25/content_4078250.htm

Notes
  1. Since the founding of the people's republic until 2009, the country has held 14 National Day grand military parades in 1949–1959, 1984, 1999, and 2009.[1]

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