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Women militia to join big National Day parade

By Chen Jia (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-12 07:38

Communities in Beijing are enrolling young women as militia to take part in the grand military parade to mark the country's 60th anniversary the next year, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

They will join the goose-stepping parade together with the country's elite military troops for the grand occasion at Tian'anmen Square, the Beijing Youth Daily News reported.

This is the first time details of the parade have been made public.

The militia are considered the reserves of the country's military forces and there is usually a phalanx of them in the parade.

Posters advertising the enrolment campaign can be seen around Chaoyang district.

Young women, aged 17-25, who hold a Beijing hukou, and stand between 1.63 m and 1.75 m tall can apply.

Those selected will have to go through a 10-month military training before they can march on the square on Oct 1 the next year.

Such has been the interest in the parade, some community offices, including Mai Zidian and Gaobeidian, have already stopped taking applications, the newspaper report said.

Information on how to enroll had earlier appeared on the website of Beijing Community Information Service, which said preference would be given to employees of local firms, the Beijing Evening reported Thursday.

It is considered a routine to hold a grand parade every 10 years to show off the country's military strength.

Those selected are regarded as the military elite and are usually promoted after the parade at Tian'anmen Square.