[2] A military parade involving 10,000 troops and the display of many high-tech weapons was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and various celebrations were conducted all over the country.

The 2009 parade was the first and last time Hu Jintao oversaw this task, as he left office of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (paramount leader) in 2012 due to term limits.

[5] In Tiananmen Square itself, 56 "pillars of national unity" – each one symbolizing the 56 ethnic groups in China – were erected, with each containing fireworks for the night event on 1 October.

[7] Mosquitoes, rats, flies, and cockroaches were the targets of professional exterminators – four unannounced night-time sweeps were carried out around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, including in the Forbidden City complex.

The public was encouraged to support the eradication through red slogan banners along Beijing streets and alleys, in what The Times said was reminiscent of the Four Pests campaign.

Police cleared streets and office buildings on the main roadways near Tiananmen Square from noon onwards for rehearsals that evening.

State media went into overdrive, for example, highlighting how thousands of troops spent four months drilling to march in step on a mock practice ground with scale model of Chang'an Avenue - complete with the leadership reviewing stand.

[11] Following disruptions caused by the drills, which shut down roads and large parts of the Beijing Subway, Xinhua News Agency announced that the final rehearsal parade, scheduled for 26 September, was called off.

[5] All basements in the city were subject to inspection by police, while some restaurants with roof terraces were not permitted to seat patrons on sides overlooking the street for the duration.

"[19] The Times says the authorities engaged counter-terrorist units and informers in districts where Xinjiang Muslims live, placed Tibetan Buddhists under surveillance, and arrested dissidents.

[21] Other security arrangements in place included relocation of mailboxes and newspaper stands along Chang'an Avenue and the closure or restricted opening of some of the hotels along the route (ex.

The film retells the tale of the Communist ascendancy and triumph, with a star-studded cast including Zhang Ziyi, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and directors Jiang Wen, Chen Kaige and John Woo in mostly cameos appearances; the leading roles – such as Mao Zedong – were played by lesser known actors.

In addition, all members of the Politburo Standing Committee at the time, along with the former leader Jiang Zemin, stood atop Tiananmen in protocol order for the entire duration of the parade.

Other prominent retired leaders, including former Premiers Li Peng and Zhu Rongji, and former Vice-president Zeng Qinghong were also in attendance.

Hu Jintao inspected the troops standing onto a Hongqi HQE limousine designed for the event, with a special license plate (京V 02009).

On each of these portraits were inscribed slogans of each leader's signature ideologies: Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Three Represents, and the Scientific Development Concept.

On the evening of 1 October, from 20:00 to 22:00, a music concert of 28 patriotic Chinese songs was performed with hundreds of dancers in Tiananmen Square, with a series of massive fireworks displays overhead.

Early media reports earlier predicted that the fireworks presentation would be "double the firepower of the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony"[citation needed].

[30] The Empire State Building in New York City lit up in red and yellow lights to commemorate the occasion;[31][32] the gesture in turn drew criticism that included those from US politicians.

[34] On 18 September 2009, three employees from the Japanese Kyodo News agency were assaulted by officials in their Beijing hotel room as they tried to cover the rehearsals of the parade.