60th National Day Celebrations . . .

[roddy]

Anyone noticing preparations for the October 1st celebrations? There's a lot less fuss about it in comparison with the Olympics I think, but I'm starting to see slogans up here and there, and the university up the road (BNU) has closed off one of their running tracks while it's used for rehearsals for a "大型活动" - lots of students in matching t-shirts waving flags marching around it every evening.

It's also a regular feature on the TV news now, we've just had the special forces preparing their show, and now it's the fan dancers. Not sure who I'm more scared of, to be honest.

Haven't heard of any random check-ups on stray foreigners so far. That happened in the run up to the Olympics, not sure if we'll see it happening again in the next few weeks.

I'm assuming there's going to be a 晚会 of some sort for this. Anyone up for watching it live?

Edited September 6, 2009 at 05:43 AM by roddy

[liuzhou]

Down here they covered the streets with Chinese flags way back at the beginning of July and started hanging up the propaganda shortly afterwards.

But generally they seem more concerned with finishing the various construction projects they have on the go before the holiday. More to do with getting the shoppers in than anything else, I suspect.

[dougm24]

There was a big practice in preparation for this today, postponed from yesterday due to the weather. A friend who lives in Xuanwumen was told that to return home tonight they would need documentary proof of living there, the underground was closed and it wasn't possible to drive.

From around 6pm it seemed like the whole of Chang'an Jie was closed - I went over from Guomao and it was difficult to get close to the street; Jianwai Soho was closed off and the only north-south road that seemed to be open at the time was the raised part of the third ring - where we ended up there were a lot of people shouting at security guards saying they had to go to work but didn't have any way to get across.

We managed to get close to Jianguomen wai at the Silk Market, and there was a parade for about two hours of various military vehicles, including tanks, missiles, drone aircraft and lots of vehicles that it wasn't clear exactly what they did. Quite an impressive sight though. We got some video and I will try to bring it together and upload it to Youtube over the next couple of days.

I've heard that these practices are going to take place over the next few weeks at the weekends - if it's anything like today it would definitely be worth trying to get a view from a building right on the street.

[rob07]

I hear that to stay on track to take over as paramount leader from Hu Jintao in 2012, Xi Jinping should be appointed as second in charge of the armed forces by National Day. Not clear yet whether he will manage it or not.

[cindy0450000]

I want to watch the live one. but I'm afraid it can only be accessible for someone with priority or some permission....

[blink]

Ooo tanks. I'm a fan of tanks.

Count me in for watching live or for getting people together to watch on tv if the live option doesn't work.

[chenpv]

Roddy should petition to the government so that he can organize hundreds of Chinese-forumers and China-loving-laowais to join the parade and start practicing marching.

[kk_agnostic]

good idea, but what title for these China-loving-laowais marching?

I'll join the petition.

[chenpv]

Easy, 红老外方阵。

[crisgee]

ooooh, so maybe that's why over the past couple of weekends here at BLCU, tons of students also come to the track and field to practice some sort of massive dance routine.

[yueni]

As crisgee mentioned, the students at BLCU have been holding massive practices out on the practice field. According to one of my Chinese friends, they've been practicing for it all summer (it's compulsory, not optional, and apparently they were faced with a choice of doing the dance thing or not graduating at all).

When I was doing news translation, I'd say about 25-50% of news stories had to do with the celebration on any given day. These stories included detailed descriptions about the restoration of stone lamps on Chang'an Road, the expected military parade, exortations of national pride, etc.

A lawyer friend in Shanghai was moaning about the stacks of immigration/visa stuff they had to go through in order to deal with issues caused by the restrictions on visas.

[bigtops]

Roddy: Is there any way we can see the tanks? Artillery cruising past Tiananmen? Maybe some ICBM trucks and soldiers twirling rifles? If so, or even if not so, but especially if so, I am very down for watching it live. Always wanted to see a wanton and yet festive and unbloody display of military might at least once in my life.

[roddy]

Wow, just had fighter planes go overhead - twelve of them, three sets of four. Never seen that before. Heading west to east just north of the second ring road, it looked like.

I have no idea how feasible actually watching this thing is going to be. Given the security and disruption surrounding the rehearsals, I suspect that getting very close to the real thing is going to be problematic. It'd be a shame to miss it if there is a chance of seeing much, but it would also be a shame to spend the entire day walking two blocks south of Chang'an Jie trying to find a tree you're allowed to climb.

When I mentioned watching it live I was more referring to this.

Everyone else in Beijing got the 'security volunteers patrol' or whatever it is out in their yellow T-shirts?

[gougou]

Everyone else in Beijing got the 'security volunteers patrol' or whatever it is out in their yellow T-shirts?

Started noticing them on Saturday, and there seem to be way more than during the Olympics.

[roddy]

Armed police outside the Wudaokou shopping center, and a guy in a yellow T-shirt walking up and down inside. There's still more than a week to go! Hopefully there's a shoot-to-kill policy on anyone riding scooters on the pavement.

The complex next to me has had the police go through it checking foreigners are registered, no sign of them at mine yet.

[gougou]

outside the Wudaokou shopping center

Hope you weren't trying to buy knives, because as of recently, that doesn't seem to be acceptable anymore...

[imron]

It wasn't acceptable during the Olympics either.

[gougou]

No kidding? I didn't realize that. So are they gonna make us hand in kitchen knives already in our possession?

[Guittar]

I love big parades, especially with military drum and bugle corps. This sounds real big, 200,000 people, parade floats and lots of great military stuff. Are people allowed to GO to the parade? Why can't they look out the windows?

I did read about the knife attacks in NYTimes , but how is that related to the parade?

Sorry so many questions.

Dave

[Meng Lelan]

Are we gonna have a live online viewing topic, I hope?