Wei Jie claudiamente@hotmail.com LOCAL expat residents who watched the live telecast of the massive military parade held in Beijing yesterday morning described the event as an eye-opening experience. Held to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the parade featured towering Great Wall-shaped structures in Tian’anmen Square that symbolized the nation’s courage and unity in resisting foreign aggression. “That was really powerful,” said Cecilia Hofflander, a Swedish resident who watched the telecast with several other expats in Shekou. Hofflander and her husband relocated to China in 2008. “We lived in Beijing at that time. I saw a parade for the first time in 2009,” said she, adding that yesterday’s spectacle was on another scale. She expressed surprise at how much China has progressed economically and technologically over the years, as reflected in the array of advanced weaponry and modern airplanes that were on display. Despite the show of modern military hardware, China’s stated commitment to peaceful development impressed Italian wine dealer Alessandro Mugnano. “China’s armed forces have not been involved in wars or military conflicts [for years], even though the world has never been truly peaceful,” said the CEO of Interprocom Group, a Shenzhen-based Italian wine dealership in China. Sava Tomoiaga, a long-term expat from Romania, couldn’t help but raise her mobile phone to film as more than 10,000 soldiers with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), organized according to the wartime command system, marched in tight, powerful formations past the Tian’anmen Square. “It was one of a kind,” she said. “Their faces were lit with confidence and pride. Despite the heat, they didn’t even blink.” | 