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Years of planning, months of training, day of glory
By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-09 10:38
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Just 16 months after one of the worst days of her life, Qin Yuyan is about to experience one of the best.
The 21-year-old lost seven relatives on May 12 last year when the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province destroyed her home in Beichuan, the county worst hit by the disaster.
But on Oct 1 she will proudly line up alongside her fellow female soldiers to take part in the grand military parade in the capital's Tian'anmen Square to mark China's 60th anniversary.
"Being able to take part in the parade has been my dream," said Qin, an ethnic Qiang who in 2007 joined the Bethune Military Medical College, which is organizing the female soldier block.
She signed up for the parade just a week after having surgery to remove her appendix.
"I wrote three applications because I wanted to be part of it so badly," she said, explaining that she had been deeply moved by the aid and care offered by the country to the Qiang people following the 8.0-magnitude quake.
"This parade is a chance for me to give something back. I want to leave my footsteps and thankful heart in Tian'anmen Square. My father told me to remember that the entire Qiang community was behind me."
Qin's story is just one of the many that can be heard around the parade villages in Beijing's Shahe town and Tongzhou district, which were set up to house servicemen and women from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) during intensive training ahead of the military showpiece.
There will be fewer soldiers marching than in the 1999 National Day parade, although this year will feature the PLA special forces for the first time, said Guo Zhigang, deputy director of the drill headquarters in Shahe. He added that most of the participants next month would be in their 20s and 30s, and generally better educated.
There will also be an increase in the number of arms display blocks, all featuring Chinese-made weapons, said Zou Yunming deputy director of the arms headquarters in Tongzhou.
"Some of the arms are about the same or even better than those made by developed countries," he added.
Security and safety in the villages has been kept tight. Everyone entering must go through a body temperature check to prevent an outbreak of illness, including the potentially fatal H1N1 virus, while personnel are examined twice a day.
Soldiers are living in blocks of green prefabricated houses, with 14 to a dorm, and street lamps are powered with solar energy.
"The living conditions for this year's parade soldiers are the best ever," said Li Jianhua, director of the logistics center in Shahe, who added the dorms are air conditioned, while each block has washing machines, television sets and reading rooms.
