BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A grand military parade will be held in Beijing on Oct. 1 to celebrate the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. It will be the 14th parade since 1949.
Two rounds of rehearsals have been heldso far, the latest one on Sunday night.
Xinhua takes you back into history to see the last 13 parades, reflecting the development of China's national defense.
The country held military parades on Oct. 1, the National Day, every year from 1949 to 1959.
In September 1960, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council (Cabinet) decided to change the annual parade practice to one grand celebration and military parade once a decade.
A smaller-scale National Day celebration was also staged every five years.
Later, due to the chaotic era of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), no military parades were held for 24 years. It was not until 1984 when the country marked its 35th birthday that the practice was resumed.
The most recent massive parade was in 1999 when China marked its 50th birthday.
Observers say these 13 military parades showcased the advancement of the modernization of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), from a peasant troop to a modernized army with nuclear weaponry.
In terms of armament, the parade at the New China's founding ceremony in 1949 displayed "multinational" equipment as most of it had been captured from the enemy during wartime.
But in 1959, weaponry showcased in the parade was mostly homegrown.
In 1984, there were 28 categories of armament shown in the most advanced parade by then. All the armament were domestically made and the country's nuclear weapon was presented to the world for the first time.
At the latest military parade ten years ago, more than 90 percent of the equipment on display was newly made. It has been the most modern military parade in Chinese history.
