Twenty-four helicopters fly in the formation of the number "90" symbolizing the epic journey of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 90 years during a military parade at Zhurihe training base in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 30, 2017. China on Sunday kicked off a grand military parade to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the PLA. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)
ZHURIHE, Inner Mongolia, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday kicked off a grand military parade to mark the 90th birthday of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the Zhurihe military training base in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Forty-one helicopters flew in two formations that spelt the Chinese characters of "Ba Yi" -- which mean the date Aug. 1 -- and the number "90."
They were followed by vehicles on the ground carrying three flags -- that of the Communist Party of China, the state and the military.
This is the first time that China commemorates the Army Day, which falls on Aug. 1, with a military parade since the founding of New China in 1949.
