Sun Jingfeng, right, a student from the PLA Air Force Engineering University, is a singer in the chorus. (Photo: China Daily/Zhou Hong)
By comparison, groups for the coming parade will be formed in accordance with their role in a joint combat operation in the event of war, according to the major general.
"For instance, if several units' equipment is to be used in an air defense operation, then these units will be in one group, no matter whether they are from the ground force or the Second Artillery Corps, the PLA's strategic missile force," Wang explained.
"This arrangement aims to highlight the trend for placing all the services under one unified command during joint operations in the future."
Senior Colonel Liu Shixu, deputy chief of staff of the PLA Beijing Garrison Command and training supervisor of the marching units, said the first unit in the parade will be the PLA Guard of Honor. That will be followed by serving elite soldiers from 10 military units that hold distinguished records from the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. At the front of each of the 10 units will be seven soldiers, each holding a flag dating back to the war.
The PLA Parade Joint Command has adopted several innovations to improve training, Wang said.
China's own global navigation and positioning network, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, is being used to help synchronize the ground units' marching and driving pace. A parade simulation system was also developed to improve training, Wang added.
Band and chorus
Through the whole parade, there will be instrumental and choral performances presented by the PLA Combined Band and the PLA Chorus, said Major General Li Zhensheng, deputy head of the PLA General Political Department's publicity office.
Most of the music and songs performed by the two groups are classic works from the wartime era, he said.
"These works reflect the Chinese people's heroism and represent their aspirations for a strong nation and a mighty military," Li said.
The two groups were formed to serve the Sept 3 parade and will be disbanded after it. Members of the PLA Combined Band are from professional and amateur bands within the military. Singers of the PLA Chorus are male students at military academies.
Sun Jingfeng, a student from the PLA Air Force Engineering University and a singer in the chorus, said thousands of students at his university competed for a place because singing for a Tian'anmen Square parade is a great honor.
"We were so enthusiastic that the university had to hold three rounds of tests to select those with the best voice and best image," he said.
"So even though the choral training is tough, all of us feel privileged and are aware of our responsibility. We have all experienced many times that when we sang songs that praise our motherland, our tears would flow because we were overwhelmed by our pride in our great nation," Sun noted.
