By the numbers: 9 facts about the V-day parade

World Today

China is all set to host a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory of the Resistance Against Japanese Aggression at Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3 in Beijing. Here are nine facts about this parade you might not have known.

 

  • It is the first time female guards of honor will join a military parade. Medical students from the Bethune Medical Officer School in China will be the only completely female group to march in the parade.

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  • The Chinese air force is using three types of animal helpers: falcons, macaques and hunting dogs, to boost security ahead of the big day, according to an official news website run by the Chinese army.

 

  • China has held 15 military parades since the People’s Republic of China was established. In 1999 and 2009, grand military parades were held to celebrate the country’s 50th and 60th founding anniversary. This is the first parade being held in China that is not being held on National Day.

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  • Foreign military representatives from 17 countries including Russia, Mongolia, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan will take part in the parade. This is the first time foreign military teams join in a Chinese military parade. 

 

  • Representatives of the U.S. Army’s Flying Tigers, also known as the 1st American Volunteer Group (1 AVG), will join China’s Victory Day events on Sept. 3. The Tigers played a key role in China’s victory, and are highly respected in China. The group consisted of three fighter squadrons of around 30 aircrafts each.

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  • More than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military equipment, and 200 different aircraft will be on display. More than 80 percent of the gear is being shown in public for the first time.

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  • More than 2,400 soldiers from the troop will join in the martial music chorus for the parade. They will sing about thirty classic songs that tell stories about the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. All the chorus members are participating in the parade for the first time.

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  • The neighborhoods around Tiananmen Square will be under curfew, and Beijing has mobilized 850,000 neighborhood watchers to report anything even slightly out of the ordinary.

Source: China Daily, CCTV News, CCTV America, Associated Press.