Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the September 3rd military parade showcased a new image of a strong military.

In Tiananmen Square, over a thousand military bands played the stirring melody of "Defending the Yellow River," and 80 buglers sounded their Horns to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. At 10:00 a.m. on September 3, 2025, a grand military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. This was the first military parade marking the new journey of comprehensively advancing China's modernization, and it marked a new era for the People's Army as it forges ahead on its centennial.

Five firsts highlight the parade's special significance.
This September 3rd military parade boasts numerous firsts, making it of immense significance. It marks the first military parade to comprehensively advance China's modernization and embark on a new journey.
It also marks the first time that the new layout of our military's force structure has been fully showcased in a parade. Led by the Party, national, and military flags, the parade formations carried the military and armed police flags.
The weapons and equipment on display were selected from among China's current main battle equipment. A significant proportion of new equipment debuted, showcasing the latest achievements of China's defense science and technology industry.
Some of China's land, sea, and air-based strategic heavyweights, high-precision strike, and unmanned and anti-unmanned systems were displayed publicly for the first time, demonstrating the strategic deterrent power of the Chinese military.

The parade's choreography blends history and modernity.

The parade's choreography incorporates carefully crafted symbolic elements. The joint military band features 14 formations, symbolizing the Chinese people's 14-year journey through the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

The front row features 80 buglers, commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The warm-up will feature a medley of four anti-Japanese war songs, and the parade will feature a newly created theme piece titled "Victory of the Anti-Japanese War."

The marching columns embody the characteristics of "one old, one new." The "one old" refers to veteran units from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The parade participants are primarily drawn from units such as the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and the South China Guerrillas, as well as militia from the provinces of the anti-Japanese base areas. The "one new" represents the new military force structure, encompassing a "three-in-one" armed forces system.

Equipment Display: Domestic Heavy Weapons Stunningly Appear

The equipment formations were organized into seven major combat groups, based on practical combat strategies: the Land Combat Group, the Maritime Combat Group, the Air and Missile Defense Group, the Information Combat Group, the Unmanned Combat Group, the Logistics Support Group, and the Strategic Strike Group.

All weapons and equipment on display are domestically produced, active combat equipment, representing a concentrated display of the PLA's new generation of weaponry and equipment following the 2019 National Day Parade. Advanced equipment such as the Army's Type 99A main battle tank, new medium tanks, Eagle Strike missiles, and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft were showcased. In particular, a series of unmanned, intelligent, and counter-unmanned equipment on land, sea, and in the air, as well as new cyber and electronic warfare capabilities, including new drones, directed energy weapons, and electronic jamming systems, were selected for the parade, showcasing the PLA's combat capabilities in new domains and of new quality.

The Air Echelon, systematically organized to cover main combat aircraft types, is organized in a modular and systematic manner. It comprises advanced early warning and command aircraft, fighter jets, bombers, and transport aircraft.
These aircraft essentially cover the main combat aircraft types currently in service with the Chinese military, many of which are star equipment, some making their public debut.
The Air Flag Guarding Echelon, comprised of multiple helicopter formations of various types, guards the flag, forms characters, and hangs banners, demonstrating the growing prosperity of the country and the continuous development and growth of the military under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

The unprecedented scale of the military band performance heightened the sense of ceremony.
This parade featured the largest joint military band in the history of New China's military parades. Composed of over a thousand officers and soldiers, the performance was divided into five sections: warm-up, ceremony, parade, march-past, and finale. The band innovated its performance format, optimizing and increasing the proportion of woodwind instruments and innovating the use of ceremonial bugles, brass instruments, and percussion instruments to enhance the musical depth and grandeur. They also cleverly designed the performance movements to enrich the musical expression and enhance the visual and auditory experience. Musical pieces such as the "Salute Bugle," "Parade Bugle," and "March-past Bugle" served to differentiate the parade's elements and heighten the sense of ceremony and solemnity.

The parade concluded at approximately 11:10 AM, with the release of peace doves as a symbol of peace and hope.
The September 3rd military parade not only showcased the new achievements of our military's modernization and reform and strengthening, but also demonstrated China's unwavering resolve to safeguard world peace and promote common development.
Eighty years have passed, and peace and development remain humanity's unwavering pursuits. On the new journey of strengthening the military, the People's Army will always be a staunch force in safeguarding world peace.