Qin Jiwei (chief commander of the military parade)[2]
The 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China took place on 1 October 1984. A military parade was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and various celebrations were conducted all over the country. China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping inspected the troops along Chang'an Avenue in Beijing. This parade was immediately followed by a civilian parade.[3]
Parade
In December 1983, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party convened to approve a motion to hold a military parade on National Day the following October.[citation needed] It was the first one to be held in 25 years since the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the People's Republic of China in 1959.[4] A parade for the 30th anniversary in 1979 was planned but was soon scrapped in light of the end of the Cultural Revolution and the death of Mao Zedong. On 12 December, the working group for the military parade was set up, with Yang Dezhi, PLA Chief of General Staff as the head. The parade was the first to be aired live on China Central Television and broadcast around the world via satellite. The parade was commanded by General Qin Jiwei in his position as Commander of the Beijing Military Region. It marked the first time that someone other than the Minister of National Defense had inspected a National Day parade and the only time that a Paramount leader who wasn't in a state or party position had inspected the parade. During the inspection, in which The People's Navy Marches Forward was the background music, the traditional greetings of Long Live the Communist Party of China and response of Long Live the People's Republic of China were replaced with Comrades you have worked hard! to which the troops respond with Serve the people!, in an effort to differentiate with Maoist parades.[5][6]
An excerpt of Deng's holiday address
"We want peaceful reunification with Taiwan, which is part of our sacred territory. Our policy in this regard is also known to all and will not change. The desire for peaceful reunification of the motherland is taking hold in the hearts of the entire Chinese nation. It is an irresistible trend, and sooner or later it will become a reality. We hope that the people of all our nationalities, including our compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and those residing abroad, will work together for its early realization."[7]
It also marked the debut appearance of the regular honor guard companies and the color guard of the Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion, which are the first to be inspected and march past dignitaries. The parade saw just over 10,300 troops march through the square, which was followed by 42 mobile formations and 4 flypasts.[8] A group of Peking University students raised a banner made out of bedsheets that read "Hello Xiaoping", to which a surprised Deng responded with a smile and wave.[9] In an interview with the People's Daily two days later, Defence Minister Zhang Aiping was quoted as saying "The people of the whole country and all the men and officers of the Army saw with their own eyes that the troop were much better equipped", referring to the military technology and armaments that were showcased.[10] as it was the first to showcase Chinese made equipment.[11]
^The traditional greeting 首长好 was used during troop inspections since the time of Mao's rule. However, since 2017, 主席好 started to be used when the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (i.e., the President/General Secretary) is inspecting.
^Since the founding of the people's republic until 2009, the country has held 14 National Day grand military parades in 1949–1959, 1984, 1999, and 2009.[1]
