Attention folks! We have a new holiday coming up this year here in China. In the spirit of commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II as well as the defeat of Japan, China’s State Council announced the 3rd of September this year as a national holiday. A brand new Victory Day Holiday!
It makes no holiday without proper celebration. On 3rd of September, a military parade will be held. This is the first time that Chinese government holds a parade on this day as well as invites foreign military troops and leaders to participate in. It is confirmed that troops from Russia and Kazakhstan will be there on 3rd, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is also largely expected to attend the parade. Except this, there are no more details so far. Stay tuned!
Are you planning for a weekend getaway for the holiday? That’s great! But firstly, have a look at the tips from ReFoX to avoid unexpected inconvenience.
First, as we mentioned before, there will be a military parade: a big one. According to official statements, from 9:30am to 12:30am, all airports in Beijing will be closed. So, do take this into consideration while you plan your trip. Before the big day, there will be zillions of dry runs at airports preparing for the parade. So, a few hours delay in the coming days are to be expected.
Second, to ensure a smooth running of the whole event, from 2nd of September to 3rd, Tiananmen, Wangfujin, Qianmen areas will be under complete shutdown. Therefore, please arrange your trip plan accordingly.
Third, as usual, bear in mind, the so called “three-day” holiday comes at the cost of the following Sunday, 6th of September. Opps, sorry! So you might want to ask for an extra day off.
As we can see, this holiday is unlike other short holidays we had before. Due to road shutdowns, car restrictions, tightened security checks at tube station, train station and airport, etc., traveling within and outside the city does look like a lot of hassle. Then, how about just chill at home and enjoy this grand parade on your TV?
Through the stringent control over factories and cars in Beijing and 6 other province, there is a great chance we will see a super blue Beijing! These past days have already been labeled APEC blue (similar measures have been taken for APEC last year resulting in good AQI). And by then, Beijing will turn into a world of flowers. The streets will be decorated by 2.8 million pots of flower, ranging from small pots to huge flower beds. Imagining under the blue sky, accompanied by miles of flowers, 12,000 soldiers, including 2 teams of veterans from World War II, marching their way through Tiananmen Square to show the world Chinese military strength and mightiness, quite impressive, isn’t it? As common folk, the hardship that all the soldiers have been through to prepare for the parade is beyond our imagination, so why don’t we sit back to share the moment and give them a round of applause?
To sum this up: have a good new Victory Day holiday and enjoy!
Source of Main Picture: Stefan R. Landsberger Collections
