Happy Anniversary China! Photos from the October 1 parade

From the comfort of our home on a very rainy day in Shanghai, my family tuned in to the PRC's National Day Parade. If you'll recall, I thought it would be fun to take my family to Beijing to watch it live, but found out quickly that going to Beijing was out of the question. The parade was not open to the public. In fact, folks who live downtown or work any where close to the parade route had strict instructions to stay home with their windows shut. It might have been the people's parade, but they were invited to watch it on TV.

In the end, I think we would have been a bit bored had we gone. While impressive with shear numbers and regiments of military units and tanks and all kinds of equipment I haven't a clue what they are, I was expecting more of a spectacle along the lines of the Olympics Opening Ceremony. But it was a very serious affair with bigwigs like Mr. Hu Jintao and Mr. Jiang Zemin not cracking a smile.

Luckily, with the help of weather meddling, Beijing had a sunny day. Shanghai was not so lucky. But it has cleared out today so my son and I are going off to buy some mooncakes on Fuzhou Road. Maybe we'll get to see the full moon tomorrow during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Photos: these professional shots of the parade were taken from my living room in Shanghai, October 1, 2009. © 2009 Sara Naumann, licensed to About.com, Inc.