Grey skies, red dancers and a rainbow of fighter jets bring colour to China’s birthday show
- Multicoloured smoke brings delight for one young spectator in Beijing but crowds in Shanghai are left watching blank screens in the rain
- There was dancing in Shenzhen, an early start in Guangzhou and violent clashes in Hong Kong
There were tanks by the dozen, rocket launchers galore and more troops than anyone could possibly count, but for one young spectator at the National Day parade in Beijing on Tuesday nothing quite matched the multicoloured plumes of smoke that gushed from a formation of jet fighters as they soared across an otherwise gloomy sky.
From their position on Dongdaqiao Road in Chaoyang District – one of the nearest places open to the public to where the main parades were taking place on Changan Avenue and Tiananmen Square – the man and boy were in a prime spot to enjoy the aerial display of more than 160 military aircraft.
But the child’s delight was not shared by all. An office worker went out onto the street to watch the show with her friends said the poor air quality had blighted her enjoyment to some extent.
Despite the government’s efforts to reduce air pollution ahead of the event, the woman said the sky was not nearly as clear as it had been 10 years ago at the nation’s 60th anniversary parade.
