Celebrate but don't watch
Here is some narrative to accompany Wen Li's photos of the middle of the night rehearsal for October First.China's crackdown for patriotism
It is meant to be a celebration to outdo even last year's Summer Olympics opening gala, marking 60 years since Mao Zedong founded the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949.
University students and schoolchildren have been rehearsing for weeks to join about 200,000 parade participants, 12,000 performers and 60 floats, accompanying a massive military parade showing off China's state-of-the-art weaponry – much of it now designed domestically.
President Hu Jintao is expected to give an address extolling China's progress. And a who's-who of Chinese film stars, including Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Zhang Ziyi and film director John Woo, have been brought in for a $10-million propaganda film entitled Jian Guo Da Ye , or The Founding of a Republic , recreating the Communists' victory in a format designed to appeal to the country's younger generation.
The fact that massive security precautions will prevent even Beijingers from watching the celebrations in person has done little to dampen the excitement...
Nothing is being left to chance. The authorities are particularly concerned with the risk of protests linked to the country's political challenges... and ethnic tensions...
City streets were shut down for kilometres around the parade route down Chang'an Avenue to Tiananmen Square last night as tanks, armoured personnel carriers and rocket launchers rumbled through a dress rehearsal, snarling traffic...
The country's paramilitary forces have also been given new powers ahead of the anniversary, allowing them greater ability to crack down on demonstrations that might harm the country's image...
An estimated 1.4 million people have also volunteered for a kind of civilian Neighbourhood Watch, to report any suspicious activity...
Find out What You Need to Know
posted by Ken Wedding @ 6:08 AM
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