Red Dragon: China @60 (1949-2009)

Happy National Day to all Chinese ppl in mainland.

Summary:

About 200,000 people took part in the celebration, including President Hu Jintao, former President Jiang Zemin and members of the ruling Politburo Standing Committee who watched from the rostrum of Tiananmen -- the Gate of Heavenly Peace. It was there, on Oct. 1, 1949, that Mao Zedong declared the communists’ victory in a civil war.

Numbers:

- 151 military aircraft, including J-10fighter jets, flew past in 12 formations

- About 80,000 children in Tiananmen Square spelled out the Chinese characters for “national celebration” with red and gold placards to begin the celebration.

- Displayed 52 types of new weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft with advance-warning radar. 5000 soldiers marched through the square

- China now produces in a day the equivalent of a year’s output five decades ago.

- Poised to surpass Japan as the world’s second-largest economy by 2010

However...

- 800 million Chinese, 60 percent of the population, still live in the countryside, and rapid development has left millions of them behind