Photo taken on July 23, 2015 shows soldiers participating in training for the Sept. 3 military parade at the parade training base. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)
Chinese soldiers and military officers have been sweating over the upcoming high-profile parade in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II for the last three months as they prepare for the show on Sept. 3.[Special coverage]
About 12,000 members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and veterans of both the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang who fought in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, will participate in the parade, Xinhua learned at the training base. Veterans age 90 on average.
Foreign militaries will also be present in the parade in front of Tian'anmen Square.
There are 11 foot phalanxes, 27 armament phalanxes, ten echelon formations of aircraft and two veteran teams who will ride in open-top vehicles pass the review stands, organizers said.
Participants were selected from various military regions, services and active units.
Li Yingjie, deputy commander of the foot phalanxes, said foot soldiers entered the training base on June 3 and joint training started on July 10. Li, also deputy head of the political department of the Beijing Garrison Command, praised the soldiers' perseverance.
Highlight of the parade are more than 500 pieces of China's latest weaponry. Armament on display hails from 13 military corps, demonstrating the military's modernization and innovation capability, according to the PLA, which has 2.3 million members.
Li Guangbin, deputy commander of the armament phalanxes and deputy head of the political department of the 38th corps, said various technology and techniques, including China-made Beidou positioning system, were used in the deploy of the armament vehicles.
Frugality has been adopted in planning the parade, but the "shock and awe" is prevailing, Li added.
More than 100 military aircraft in ten echelon formations will fly across Tian'anmen on Sept. 3, said Yu Aishui, deputy commander of the echelons and deputy political commissar of the Beijing military region's air force.
"Training time for the parade is pressing and the task is challenging," Yu said, adding that military parade flight must be "very strict with time and space" as well as unpredictable factors such as weather.
Yu's team made six plans to deal with different meteorological conditions and more than 100 plans in 17 categories to face special situations.
Japan signed its formal surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, and China celebrated its victory the following day.
