The Tibet celebrations took place in front of the local seat of power, the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

Besides showing off a collection of over-sized and miniature Chinese flags, the Tibet celebrations also featured a collection of China’s five Chairmen and Presidents depicted together. It also had a float that resembled a cresting wave or a yellow steamroller with a replica of the Potala Palace with a Chinese flag on top (as seen in the gallery).

And while there was some local culture on display, the Tibet celebrations also took after the Beijing parade by featuring marching soldiers:

But while the west was invited to come witness the September 3 military parade, the same was the same for the Tibet celebration. Western news organizations like the BBC reported that they weren’t allowed to attend the festivities.

The post China Throws Big Party for Tibet Anniversary, But Doesn’t Invite Any Foreign Reporters appeared first on The Nanfang.

Max Duncan compiled a special video for the Wall Street Journal condensing the entire thing into a single minute. Check it out.

Beijing’s Hour-long Military Parade in a Minute from Max Duncan on Vimeo.

The post Watch Beijing’s Entire Hour-Long Military Parade in Just One Minute appeared first on The Nanfang.

Online reaction to the parade has been overwhelmingly positive with a majority of Chinese netizens expressing their admiration and love for their country and the various units of its national armed forces that were on display during the parade. But along with this praise comes a number of posts and comments that show a broader – and somewhat different – perspective.

At around 10:30am, this picture was sent out along with the caption “Here’s a picture to share (with everyone)”:

A picture of a Winnie the Pooh toy car doesn’t seem to signify anything until you take into account that minutes prior to that post, President Xi Jinping had inspected the troops from his car, like this:

This post racked up about 62,000 forwards in a little over an hour. Online responses to this post included: “As I watched, I told my mother and father that the similarity was uncanny.” The post has since been deleted from Weibo.

Other posts remarked upon the warm welcome President Xi gave to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (seen in the GIF above). Xi was seen giving a toothy smile while shaking Putin’s hand, something that Xi is rarely seen doing.

One post (above) showed the GIF of the meeting and commented, “Once you saw that smile, you knew who was coming.” Accumulating some 52,000 hits, this post attracted responses like, “Could this be the mythical way [that Xi] spoils the people he loves that has been spoken about in legend?” while another person wrote, “Do you guys still have any attention for us beautiful women?”

Another post (above) contrasted Xi’s meeting with Putin with Xi’s famous handshake with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan (seen below) by saying: “This is the clear, visible difference between what is a ‘beloved concubine’ and a ‘hated slave girl’.” Forwarded almost 70,000 times, this post got responses like “So Uncle Xi is also a person who can’t hide his feelings,” and “(This is) ‘You’ve come’ versus ‘Why aren’t you gone yet?’”

A netizen posted this GIF of CCTV footage of the official viewing platform that showed what appears to be Xi Jinping ignoring former Premier Wen Jiabao, who simply stands facing forward while Xi shakes other people’s hands behind him (seen below in stills). This post received some 52,000 hits this morning, but attracted no comments.

The post Chinese Compare President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh During Beijing Parade appeared first on The Nanfang.

According to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (China’s censoring body, otherwise known as SAPPRFT), for the next five days, holiday programming on Chinese network television will be dedicated exclusively to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. That’s right: exclusively.

Thanks to the SAPPRFT order, this weekend viewers will have to go without popular shows like Daddy Where Are We Going?, the Chinese version of The Voice, and the Chinese version of Korean celebrity reality show, Running Man. Instead the next five days will be loaded with Anti-Japanese War programming – just in case you’re unfamiliar with the outcome of WWII, or you’re interested in a unique retelling from the Chinese perspective.

The programming will include WWII “documentaries” such as Main Battlefield in the East, Confessions of a Japanese War Criminal, Light and Haze, and The War of Resistance: The Eternal Achievement. There will also be a number of war dramas, including Who is a Real Hero, War Souls, War God, and Attack on Moon Island.

And to ensure the holiday remains a truly family affair, there will also be a number of cartoons for the kids to enjoy like New Tunnel War (pictured), The Urgent Letter and The Battle to Defend Yuanzi Cliffs.

The post Chinese TV Will Only Broadcast War Shows — For The Next Five Straight Days appeared first on The Nanfang.

All travellers on these trains will experience tighter security and are advised to factor the additional measures into their arrival times at the stations. The announcement comes only days after an armed attack on a high-speed train in northern France was foiled by tourists.

Shanghai Daily reported:

Armed with pistols, batons and tear gas, 16 squads of officers will help ensure that no one spoils the fun atmosphere either before or on the special day, Shanghai police said yesterday.

As part of the increased security measures, two of Shanghai’s train depots were placed under 24-hour guard.

In anticipation of the parade, other security initiatives have included: shutting down Beijing’s airport and subway stations, banning the use of radio waves, instituting a no-fly zone, all mail to the capital faces tighter scrutiny, and mobilizing hundreds of thousands of city residents to serve as police deputies.

Train travel has been the focus of security concerns before in China. This past spring, train travelers to Tibet were subject to heightened security as the autonomous region celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The post Armed Police to Patrol Trains to Beijing Ahead of September 3 Parade appeared first on The Nanfang.

As we can see by the numerous security procedures and temporary measures that have closed down parts of Beijing and the surrounding area, the parade on September 3 is going to be a big deal, something that is obvious by the 49 international dignitaries that will be on hand.

But for what must be a complex arrangement of protocols and diplomacy, the People’s Daily Online has simplified the invitation process by re-imagining it as a WeChat conversation. In the following mock-up, Chinese President Xi Jinping announces his event online and invites all the people in his WeChat circle of friends to take part. And as the People’s Daily Online puts it, many of them respond enthusiastically:

Here’s the above online conversation translated into English:

Xi Jinping:
On the morning of September 3rd, my country will be hosting a commemoration of the War of Resistence Against Japan and the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism at Tian’anmen Square in Beijing (which will include inspecting the troops). I welcome everyone to come witness the parade of troops.

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations:
I can come.

Director General of the World Health Organization Dr Margaret Chan:
I can come too!

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair:
Not a problem, will definitely be there.

Former German President Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schroder:
Fine then, will definitely be there!

Former Japan Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama:
Sure, will be there on time!

And here’s another passage from the same People’s Daily Online mock-up:

Russian President Vladimir Putin: I will definitely be there.
Xi Jinping replies to Russian President Vladimir Putin: Welcome.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye: I will definitely take part.
Xi Jinping replies to South Korean President Park Geun-hye: Welcome.
Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain: I will definitely be there.
Xi Jinping replies to Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain: Welcome.
Vietnam President Trương Tấn Sang: I will promptly be there on time.
Xi Jinping replies to Socialist Republic of Vietnam Trương Tấn Sang: Welcome.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko: I’m coming.
Xi Jinping replies to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko: Welcome.
Mongolia President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj: When a neighbor is having a celebration, how can I miss it?
Xi Jinping replies to Mongolia Presidenty Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj: Welcome.
King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni: I will definitely take part.
Xi Jinping replies to King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni: Welcome.
South African President Jacob Zuma: Definitely be there.
Xi Jinping replies to South African President Jacob Zuma: Welcome.

Call us suspicious, but we’re doubtful this is how the complex matters of international diplomacy are currently handled. But in a world where all global leaders are in one big chat group and speak Chinese, we’d have to say that Xi Jinping is among the least lively in the group. At least Angela Merkel, the German president, uses smiley emoticons.

But whether true or not, the strangest thing of all about this particular version of “the world’s most powerful WeChat circle” is that unlike everybody else, Xi Jinping doesn’t get a title. Although he is the President of China, on other people’s WeChat accounts he is simply known as “Xi Jinping”.

The post If President Xi Jinping Invited World Leaders to War Parade Using WeChat… appeared first on The Nanfang.

The preparations have been caught on camera by the media and from ordinary netizens posting their photos online. Particularly attention-grabbing yesterday was the “70” helicopter formation, signifying the 70th Anniversary of the Victory over the War of Japanese Aggression:

As well as other aircraft that were seen throughout the city:

Then there were the tanks:

But no image has been as spectacular as this CCTV image of a boy imitating the “aircraft carrier pointing” meme as a squadron of aircraft fly in the background behind him:

The post Look: Jets Fill Beijing Sky With Color as Parade Rehearsals Begin appeared first on The Nanfang.

Located in Fuxingmen, Xidan, Dongdan, and Jianguomen, and featured on the Chang’an Street parade throughfare, the arrangements are military themed, and include spaceships, submarines and cartoon character soldiers.

The post Look: Beijing Rolls Out Elaborate Flower Arrangements Across the City Ahead of September 3 Holiday appeared first on The Nanfang.

The entirety of Tiananmen Square and the pedestrian commercial street Wangfujing will be completely closed this coming weekend to accommodate parade rehearsals, following the closure of the Sanlitun area this past weekend. A number of tourist attractions are also closed until the parade is over, including the Forbidden City and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall.

“The parade will mainly affect scenic spots, including the Palace Museum, National Museum of China, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Tian’anmen Rostrum and the National Center for the Performing Arts,” said Xu Xiaolei, a publicity officer for a Chinese travel service provider.

Seven Beijing parks will be closed during the rehearsals and the parade, including Chaoyang Park, Longtan Park, Honglingjin Park, Lotus Pond Park, Yaowahu Park, Taoranting Park and Yuyuantan Park. The nearby Qianmen commercial street will face entry restrictions on September 2 and 3.

Broadcast radio and wireless Internet signals will be banned in neighborhoods located around Tiananmen Square from midnight to noon on September 3, while amateur radio stations, campus broadcasting stations, and the use of radio-controlled planes have been banned throughout the city. Some 850,000 Beijing residents will be given public security responsibilities from August 22 until September 3 to assist in the preparations, said the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Preparatory measures haven’t been limited to Beijing. In Shanghai, trains bound for Beijing will be guarded around the clock. As railway police officer Zeng Ji’an explained, “This is a temporary measure to prevent undesirables from trying to smuggle dangerous items onto the trains that serve Beijing.”

The military parade has affected a number of services and areas of Beijing, including shutting down the city’s airports, subway stations, restricting car use, and placing stricter security protocols on all mail and deliveries entering the city. At the same time, thousands of factories and power plants in Beijing and its six surrounding provinces will be shuttered in an effort to improve local air quality in time for the parade.

The military parade will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, known in the rest of the world as World War II. It is being held on China’s newest holiday this year on September 3 which will serve as the beginning of a three-day holiday for Chinese workers.

The post Beijing Shuts Down More of the City Ahead of Sensitive September 3 Parade appeared first on The Nanfang.

Drivers unable to hit the road were instead forced to take the city’s subway, leading to massive crowds:

But what was uncomfortable for subway passengers was excellent for Beijing drivers lucky enough to have the right license plate. No traffic jams were reported yesterday as drivers experienced clear roads while driving during rush hour:

Ordinarily one of China’s busiest and slowest commutes for cars, a traffic map shows non-congested roads during Beijing’s peak travel times:

One Weibo user went so far as to say, “I strongly propose that Beijing retain the driving restrictions even after September 3.”

Despite some grumbling from those who had to take the subway, it’s clear the restrictions are getting results. Weibo users posted pictures of blue skies around Beijing, noticing how much better the air quality is without so many cars:

Besides the car restrictions, authorities have shut down tens of thousands of factories and power plants in an effort to reduce pollution in time for the September 3 military parade.

At the present time, Beijing has an AQI of 63.

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