Chinese V-Day Ceremony Begins with 70-Gun Salute

A flag-raising ceremony and a 70-gun salute opened a grand ceremony held at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing on Thursday morning to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the world anti-Fascist war.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, together with 24 heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye and South African President Jacob Zuma, stood on the Tian'anmen Rostrum overlooking the packed square.

Other dignitaries on the rostrum were government representatives from 19 countries, heads of 10 international organizations, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and six former world leaders, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.

At 10:00, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced the beginning of the ceremony.

"The ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the world anti-Fascist war now begins," announced Li.

The 70-gun salute was fired by 56 guns placed in the southern part of the square. The number of 56 represents 56 ethnic groups of China.

The gun salute ceremony was performed by the Gun Salute Battalion of the People's Armed Police Force Beijing Contingent, who served several National Day celebrations as well as the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

Amid the 70-gun salute, the guard of honor carrying a furled national flag walked down from the platform of the Monument to the People's Heroes in the center of the square, and marched northward on a red carpet toward the national flag post.

While the five-star flag was being hoisted, the crowd sang the national anthem to the accompaniment of a 1,200-member military band and a 1,200-member choir.

A total of 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military equipment, and nearly 200 aircraft will be reviewed by President Xi Jinping in the coming hour.
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