50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China
| 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China 庆祝中华人民共和国成立50周年活动 | |
|---|---|
Type 98 tanks on parade | |
| Genre | Military parade, mass pageant, music and dance gala |
| Date(s) | 1 October 1999 |
| Frequency | Select years |
| Location(s) | Chang'an Avenue, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China |
| Coordinates | 39°54′26.4″N 116°23′27.9″E / 39.907333°N 116.391083°E |
| Years active | 75 |
| Inaugurated | 1 October 1949 |
| Previous event | 40th anniversary of the People's Republic of China |
| Next event | 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China |
| Participants | National leaders, PLA, PAP, the Militia, and other formations |
| Leader | Jiang Zemin (CCP general secretary and CMC chairman) |
| People | Li Xinliang (chief commander of the military parade) |
The 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China took place on 1 October 1999. A military parade was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and various celebrations were conducted all over the country. General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Jiang Zemin inspected the troops along Chang'an Avenue in Beijing. This parade was immediately followed by a civilian parade.
It was the first one to be held since 1984 since the 1989 parade celebrating the 40th anniversary was cancelled due to the Tiananmen Square protests. Known as the Chinese Army's Trans-Century Parade due to 1 October 1999 being months away from the turn of the 21st century, it was commanded by the Commander of Beijing Military Region Li Xinliang and inspected by then-Chairman of the Central Military Commission and General Secretary of the CCP Jiang Zemin. It was the first time that the sole Chinese leader (who served as party leader, head of state and Commander-in-Chief by this time) had inspected the parade. It was also the first time that the national flag was raised before the parade began. 42 divisions (formations) took part in this parade: 17 from the ground column and 25 from the mobile column.