PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
photo: reuters
The Atlantic's James Fallows has been watching on TV and says that he "takes back" his assessment that the festivities are dominated by "giant and threatening-seeming military displays".
"...they were intermixed among mass pageantry of every imaginable campy Rose Parade-type variety. For each deployment of tanks, there has been a Farmers' Coop float. For each regiment of goosestepping female soldiers, all exactly the same height and with skirts exactly the same length, there has been a group of Clean Energy workers, accompanying a display of wind turbines and solar panels -- or a group of athletes from the Phys Ed university. Plus some pompom group whose ID on the screen I couldn't understand, and miscellaneous other celebrations. And a float from each province or region, with waving local beauties! This is becoming truer to the randomness of China as I think of it. Happy 60th birthday."
Can you imagine, "Clean Energy workers, accompanying a display of wind turbines and solar panels" in a parade displaying national purpose and power? It gives hope that the 21st Century might be heralding something new.
UPDATE 07 October 2009: Here's a time lapse video of the day's events...
China's 60th Anniversary national day - timelapse and slow motion - 7D and 5DmkII from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
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