The fireworks portraying a train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway lights the Tian'anmen Square during the grand evening gala celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009. (Xinhua/Li Ga) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid applauses and excited exclamations from the audience, a firework drawing portraying a train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway lighted the Tian'anmen Square and dazzled all on the scene.

    The firework drawing was displayed on a screen-like installation on the Square. Gunpowder was fixed on thousands of spots on the screen and were lighted in a preset order to "draw" pictures.

fireworks dportraying a train running on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway lights the Tian'anmen Square during the grand evening gala celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

 

    The show was part of an evening gala held in the heart of Beijing to celebrate the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

    Organizers of the gala also employed fireworks to shape a Shenzhou spacecraft blasting off to the skies of Beijing.

    Performers danced across the Tian'anmen Square to songs that won the hearts of billions of Chinese in the past decades, as the gala puts on its third group dancing themed the "brand-new China," and turned the Square into a sea of colors.

Chinese leaders join crowd at National Day gala 

   BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders joined tens of thousands of people Thursday evening at a grand gala celebrating New China's 60th birthday.

    Amid applause, cheers and fireworks, they walked into the joyous crowd after watching the evening gala that turned Tian'anmen Square a sea of festivity. Full story

Solar panels at National Day parade highlight changes in China's energy use

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Solar panels held by a formation of energy workers at the National Day parade on Thursday demonstrated China's determination to shift to renewable energy in handling climate change.

    Surrounded by energy workers, a float carrying the sculptures of windmills and oil reserve containers, as well as a banner reading "Striving to develop clean energy," moving past Tian'anmen Square at the magnificent pageant marking New China's 60th anniversary of founding. Full story

China National Day parade highlights sci-tech accomplishments

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China highlighted its achievements in the science and technology fields Thursday during the grand celebrations of the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic.

    A float representing the high-tech sector pulled into the Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing, carrying a large television screen that showcased the country's progress in science and technology. Full story

"EARTH" T-shirt spells out China's green drive at National Day parade

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The word of "EARTH" printed on the T-shirts worn by the paraders of the environment formation were among a few English letters shown at New China's 60-year birthday pageant.

    They underscored China's resolution to cut pollution and protect ecological environment as it saw severe environmental degradation from years of double-digit economic expansion. Full story

Jumbo jet, high-speed train show "China drive" at National Day parade

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's fast changing transportation system could not be better reflected in its homegrown high-speed trains and jumbo jets project, as their sculptures were displayed on a float moving through the crowds Thursday morning at a pageant marking the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic.

    Sculptures of trains, airplanes and automobiles are placed on a model of multi-layer overpass, which signals China's capability of making the most leading transportation tools and its position as having the world's second longest highway after the United States. Full story

Hybrid rice shows China's agricultural progress on National Day parade

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A giant model of hybrid rice species became an icon of the nation's agricultural achievement at the parade celebrating New China's 60th year of founding.

    Super hybrid rice, the latest masterpiece of agricultural scientist Yuan Longping, enables China to produce grains for another 75 million people a year out of the country's paddy fields. Full story

New China's road from farming nation to leading automaker

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- As the U.S. auto industry, an emblem of the American spirit, narrowly escaped a sudden collapse, China's auto makers have emerged as a symbol for the nation's industrial advance at New China's 60th founding anniversary parade.

    Placing at the center of a float representing the country's industrial development, the car reminds people of the bumpy road of China's industrialization. Full story

Quick View: "CPC legacy handed down from one generation to another"

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday sent to the world a clear signal of keeping to the socialist road as four huge portraits of the Communist Party of China (CPC) leaders in four generations marched past Beijing's Tian'anmen Square at the grand National Day parade, said Prof. Cai Xia with Party School of the Central Committee of CPC Thursday.

    The portraits of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, mounted on flower-bedecked floats and under the escorts of thousands of paraders, spearheaded four formations showcasing New China's development over the past 60 years. Full story

China's National Day paraders salute reform and opening-up drive

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Paraders in a grand celebration marking the 60th founding anniversary of New China on Thursday saluted late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping for the ongoing reform and opening-up drive he launched in 1978.

    Thousands of paraders in a formation under the theme of "Story in Spring" carried a huge portrait of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, chief architect of the reform and opening-up drive, while the "Story in Spring" song dedicated to Deng's contributions was played. Full story

Civilian pageant highlights China's 60-year rise to world stage

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Civilian formations marched in Tian'anmen Square as another centerpiece of the National Day fete marking the 60th birthday of the People's Republic of China.

    Leading the mass pageant was the formation presenting the national flag and national emblem. A total of 1,949 young men held up and escorted the flag, the largest-yet displayed during China's national day parades in Tian'anmen. The flag weighs about 150 kilograms and covers nearly 600 square meters, bigger than a basketball court. Full story

Civilian parade begins on Tian'anmen Square

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Civilian paraders marched through Tian'anmen Square Thursday morning as another centerpiece of the National Day fete to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

    Leading the mass pageant was the formations presenting the national flag and national emblem. Full story

Chinese wish for national unity, reunification in festive parade

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese people expressed their desire for national unity and reunification Thursday morning in a mass procession celebrating the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

    Following a grand military parade, the mass procession, in 35 formations with different themes, began at around 11:20 a.m. in front of the famous Tian'anmen Rostrum at the heart of Beijing. Full story

Final children parade looks into better future

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A parade of about 5,000 children with colored balloons and wreaths in hand walked by Tian'anmen Rostrum in central Beijing Thursday, along with a float in the shape of a giant basket filled with flowers, in celebration of the60th founding anniversary of New China.

    The square formation called "Tomorrow will be better" was the largest and final one in the mass pageant. The float named "Flourishing flowers" was also the final of 60 running through the mass pageant. Full story

Foreigners take part in China's National Day parade

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China, for the first time, had a formation composed of foreigners for its National Day celebration parade since the founding of New China in 1949, a sign of its increased openness to the outside world.

    A total of 181 foreigners from 53 countries participated in the parade. Dozens of foreigners wore Chinese-style dresses or their national costumes on the float themed "One World", and others marched in T-shirts with "I love China" on them and waving China's national flags. Full story

Dazzling Taiwan float joins "Splendid China" formation

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Applause and cheers engulfed Tian'anmen Square Thursday morning when a float featuring the scale model of Taiwan's landmark 101 Tower and colorful local fruits appeared at the celebrations of New China's 60th founding anniversary.

    The dazzling float of the "Treasure Island" was the last one of the "Splendid China" formation to pull into the square at the heart of Beijing, following 33 others representing China's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. Full story

Overseas Chinese show love of China

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Overseas Chinese attended the parade on Thursday morning for China's 60th National Day celebration to show their attachment to the country where they were originated from.

    The formations, passing Tian'anmen Square, featured two huge red Chinese knots, decorative handicraft which began as a form of art in the Tang and Song dynasties in China. The handicraft is normally used to convey "unity" and "harmony". Full story

Float demonstrates Chinese cultural prosperity

    BEIJING, Oct.1 (Xinhua) -- A float with a shining fan-shaped picture of traditional Peking opera performer on a civilian parade formation showcased Chinese cultural prosperity since the founding of the People's Republic of China six decades ago.

    Paraders dressed in long-sleeved shirts and white pants marched past the Tian'anmen Rostrum. A banner on the float reads "promoting the socialist cultural development and prosperity". Full story

Float depicts China's rural transformation at National Day parade

    BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Jubilant Chinese farmers performed folk dance on a float moving past Tian'anmen Square Thursday morning, revealing their rejoice at New China's grandest National Day parade.

    With a theme of "Constructing the socialist new countryside", the float was surrounded by farmer representatives wearing colorful folk clothes and waving wheatears. Full story

Special Report: 60th Anniversary of Founding of PRC