China to hold big military parade, but ordinary folks can't go see it

What a country!

...........Beijing has mobilized 850,000 neighborhood watchers to report anything even slightly out of the ordinary.

Scary stuff indeed.

So why have it if ordinary people can't watch it?

What's with all this security? What are they expecting? And from whom?

The people fought the war but aren't allowed to be at the parade in honor of it.

"Authorities obsessed with security and leery of any possible hitches will virtually shut down central Beijing on Thursday, keeping most people out of eyeshot for the parade commemorating the defeat of Japan in World War II." - DIDI TANG

Sadder and sadder; it's as if the Chinese thought the whole event had to be a 'camera ready' hero salute to shaming the enemy of seventy years ago.

Talk about a primitive society.

Lighten-up China. Turn that frown upside-down and there's always tomorrow.

Try smiling China.

No doubt that the Chinese will acknowledge the assistance they received from the U.S. and allies. The Chinese are not ungrateful....nor are they completely forthcoming as to how their own failures of development in the political sphere set them up to be repeatedly humiliated for several centuries.

Anniversary parade seems to be for the government, not for people. It makes sense. China is still communist state.

How long until their homes are torn down to build a military victory museum?

Seeing the line of tanks on TV , I wondered if someone might try blocking them. Obviously not:

China to hold big military parade, but ordinary folks can't go see it

Hurrah for the People's Republic!

It's a TV show doe for the international community. And the international community should do their best and just ignore it.

This is the same thing the (last) Shah of Iran did that lead to his fall. (2500 year anniversary of Persian Empire/ Cyrus the Great)

Who is the Japanese diplomatic representative at the parade?

Why shouldn't China celebrate after what they went througb at the hands of Japan during WW2? Good on them!

So why have a parade in the first place?

On going live feed courtesy of BBC news .....

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34130123

Underneath his smiling face, Xi Jinping must be reeling with embarrassment and disappointment because no leaders of developed countries attended the parade. Enjoy your dinner with Putin and Pak.

Ok BBC Broadcast has ended over to the English broadcast feed from CCTV ...Good commentary

<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2015-09/03/c_134535722.htm >

China to hold big military parade, but ordinary folks can't go see it

What a gyp! If I were an ordinary chinese Beijing resident, Id be upset & question this reasoning.

This would be like telling New Yorkers to stay outta' Times Square on New Years eve- ain't happening.

kawabegawa198SEP. 03, 2015 - 11:08AM JST Why shouldn't China celebrate after what they went througb at the hands of Japan during WW2? Good on them!

I don't think anyone objects to the celebration per se. The objection (and keep in mind, this is coming from someone routinely downvoted for defending China from bigotry) is that the restrictions on the public are a tad extreme. People aren't allowed even to open their windows?

850,000 neighbourhood watchers mobilized? What a sad and bleak place to live..

I read somewhere that the government had banned pigeons from the area in case they interfered with aircraft fly-bys. That brings back memories of Mao's war on sparrows.

So why have it if ordinary people can't watch it?

The parade isn't for ordinary people. It's partly for heads of state, whom China thinks need to be reminded yet again about Japanese actions during WW2. But mostly its a big bazaar for foreign arms buyers. China is now the world's third biggest exporter of weapons.

Blue checkered camouflage for a tank? Where's it gonna hide, LegoLand?

Police state in full swing. Big Brother pumped up to crack down on the slightest expression of dissent.

It is a dazzle tank, cunning disguised to prevent people from aproximating its size and distance when it is floating on the high seas...

“I think watching the live broadcast will be a good alternative.”

"I'm going to go across the street and get you some orange sherbet"

mmm, or - ange sher - bet . . . Best of string . . .

"Big Brother pumped up to crack down. Mao's war on sparrows. No leaders of developed countries attended the parade. Why shouldn't China celebrate? China is now the world's third biggest exporter of weapons. 850,000 neighbourhood watchers mobilized? What a sad and bleak place to live . . ."

The horror, the horror. Nice for the 300,000 cut in troops though, if those are real numbers. But each citizen still lives like a prisoner? How different this then from the Hermit Kingdom? What is all this then?

Underneath his smiling face, Xi Jinping must be reeling with embarrassment and disappointment because no leaders of developed countries attended the parade. Enjoy your dinner with Putin and Pak.

The only ways China seems to know about how to impress the world are in the extravagant, the extreme. What is this unbelievable wasteful display of deadly force meant to achieve? Is it going to work for world peace? Is it meant to say, 'Look what we got, watch out, or else?' I find it sinister. Not only the parade itself but all the hoopla surrounding it. Are the tens of millions of Chinese who still live in poverty going to be impressed by this massive bleeding off of tax money?

If Xi had expected western leaders to attend to see his circus he must be dumber than I thought. Most of the world would probably like to have good relations with China, but not on China's terms. And that is something Chinese leaders don't seem to grasp.

If a tree falls in a forest........

Interesting that most of the visiting soldiers who took part in the parade are from countries whose soldiers never fought alongside China in WW2.