China Celebrates 60 Years of PRC's Founding

A total of 4,028 soldiers, seen here during a rehearsal, will create massive changing images in the Tiananmen Square on the 01 October evening to celebrate the National Day. Photo by EPA/BGNES

President Hu Jintao inspected China's defense forces in Beijing on Thursday as the country began celebrations to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic.

Addressing a rally in Tiananmen Square, Hu called on the Chinese people to unite more closely to build a "rich, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and modernized socialist country," state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

About 200,000 soldiers and civilians -- from veterans and athletes to space heroes and young people -- gathered in Tiananmen Square for the National Day military and mass parade showcasing achievements of the last 60 years, Xinhua reported.

They included a 1,300 member military band and a fly-past by China's first batch of female fighter pilots, Xinhua added.

Rain-dispersal rockets fired into the area in surrounding provinces and regions to induce rain before it reaches the capital in the largest weather-intervention effort since the opening ceremony of the Olympics last year, Xinhua reported.

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