China military parade soldiers to stand hours, no movement

World Today

China’s highly-classified training for this year’s military parade is open to the media for the first time.

These soldiers are undergoing intense training in the suburbs of Beijing to march through Tiananmen Square on September 3rd. On that big day President Xi Jinping will review them. He will be joined by foreign leaders. CCTV’s Han Peng filed this report.

More details:

  • During the parade, soldiers must stand at attention for two hours without a single movement. They must maintain a perfect quick step march for one kilometer to arrive at Tiananmen Square, and then an equally perfect goose step for 100 meters to march through the square.
  • China typically holds a major military parade on every tenth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. The last came in 2009.
  • Veteran soldiers will also be reviewed at the parade on September 3rd. This includes both Communist and Kuomintang soldiers.