China’s National Day parade

The centrepiece of celebrations was a huge military parade by thousands of military personnel through Tiananmen Square [Reuters]

The parade was watched by Chinese leaders from the Tiananmen gate, where communist leader Mao Zedong declared the foundation of communist China [AFP]

Wearing a Mao-style suit, Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, reviewed the massed ranks of troops and weaponry from a limousine [Reuters]

The parade included a fly past by Chinese-made fighter jets, some of which were flown by the first recruits of female fighter pilots [AFP]

Divisions of women soldiers from the PLA joined the parade on the ground [Reuters]

Sailors from the increasingly powerful Chinese navy also took part in the parade [AFP]

The parade included advanced missiles, seen on public display for the first time [Reuters]

The display was designed as a showpiece to demonstrate the power and achievements of modern China [AFP]

But most ordinary Chinese were kept well away from the parade by tight security, having to watch the celebrations on TV instead [AFP]