Since the establishment of the PRC 60 years ago, the country has held 14 National Day military parades. Sun Qihua not only participated as a young solider in two of those early parades, but also later became the team leader and head coach of the naval troops during the 1984, 1999 and 2009 parades.

Sun Qihua was head coach of the naval formation at the 1999 National Day parade.

"I Saw Chairman Mao"

    Sun Qihua enlisted in the marines in 1956. The 17-year-old seaman could not have foreseen that he would one day have such a long and close relationship with China's biggest military parades.

    A National Day military parade was held every year during the 1950s. However, common people rarely had the chance to see this grand ceremony since television was inaccessible at the time.

    For this reason, Sun Qihua and his counterparts were extremely excited when enrolled in the Navy's parade formation for the 1958 National Day celebration. "It meant that I would have a chance of seeing Chairman Mao in Tian'anmen Square!" Sun recalls.

    The 181-cm-high Sun Qihua made it through the strict selection process thanks to his impressive height – one that helped him to stand out among the 200 soldiers in his company.

    The news was well received in Sun's hometown where everybody was proud of him. His parents, simple farmers unable to read or write, asked others to pen letters to their son, encouraging him to work hard and bring honor to his hometown, his company and his country.

    The select soldiers were trained in the countryside near Longkou, Shandong Province. No special training area was set aside for them, simply a patch of razed farmland. When the rainy season hit, the dusty farmland quickly turned into a muddy field, but no one complained about the poor conditions. The soldiers' patriotism and toughness still impress Sun to this day. "We all focused on training and looked forward to the big moment."

    The moment finally came on the morning of October 1, 1958. Standing in the naval formation, Sun Qihua was in the closest proximity of his life to state leaders Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De. "I could have seen them as long as I lifted my head, but I resisted the urge out of fear that it might disturb the orderly formation." Sun is still excited when talking about his first parade. He remembered, "My mind went blank when marching in front of the Tian'anmen Gate."

    But facing his ardent comrades in arms upon his return from Beijing, Sun Qihua didn't have the heart to tell them the truth. He could only say that he had "seen" Chairman Mao.

Twenty-five Years of Waiting

    Owing to their marvelous performance, Sun Qihua and his fellow company men were again enrolled in the formation of the National Day parade the following year. Only this time, Sun stood in the second row of the array, which meant he was getting closer to the rostrum.

    With his previous experience under his belt, Sun didn't feel as nervous as before and seized the chance to steal a peek at the top leader.