1999 Military Parade

1999 marked the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

In the parade the number of formations rose to 52, compared with 42 in 1984. They included 17 formations on foot, 25 mechanized phalanxes, and ten flying echelons. Some units were present for the first time, such as army aviation, marine corps, and reservists. Among them, female militia dressed in red captured people’s imagination. They were all established after the initiation of the reform and opening-up drive in 1979. Among the 42 categories of large-size armaments, only two of them had been displayed in the 1984 parade. Compared to the parade of the 35th anniversary parade,  Chinese made hi-tech armaments had become major weapons. Both the number of divisions and the number of vehicles set new records in history.

In short, the 1999 parade was a concentrated display of the achievements of China’s military reforms.