Grassroots National Day celebrations expressing patriotism creatively

BEIJING, Sept. 29, (Xinhua) -- In contrast to the big parade through Tian'anmen Square on Oct. 1, ordinary Chinese are exploring various creative ways to celebrate the 60th founding anniversary of New China.

"One's contribution is a "must-do" for such a national festival," says a post on popular online community www.tianya.cn. It is collecting original programs from netizens around the world for the website's National Day online gala.

The gala is scheduled for broadcast on Tianya at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, simultaneously with the grand evening gala and fireworks display in Tian'anmen Square.

But the playbill will be quite different. There will be costume role play utilizing historical figures and rap versions of patriotic songs.

On the website, another hot event is the photo contest, "Let's boast of the Beauty of China." It has aroused many people's enthusiasm to contribute picture archives.

A click of a mouse and one will be amused by old posters of China printed throughout a century, or surprised by breathtaking landscape in Xinjiang. Pictures of flowers along Beijing's Chang'an Avenue this month are also on display.

The winners will be chosen by Tianya netizens on Oct. 8.

Other netizens at Tianya are collecting old photos of dressing styles over the 60 years. Many have responded with rare photos, from Soviet-style Braji dress and Lenin coats in the 1950s to black leggings and chalk-white sneakers in the 1990s.

"It's so nostalgic," said netizen "Jiang Nuannuan" in a post.

Cyber game players are joining in too. Students from the Qingdao Technological University have produced a video of a National Day military parade attended by imaginary figures from "Warcraft", a popular computer game.

Humans, orcs, elves and the undead walk in this parade, which might be a bit naughty but is very popular. The video has received more than 600 posts saying "Happy Birthday" to China.