Scenes from the edges of parade

Unsung heroes help events succeed

CHINA DAILY Zhao Yinan REPORTER

Sun Yuliang, 23, peeked from the back of the pavilion when the grand parade started on Thursday morning.

A graduate student in environmental science at Tsinghua University, Sun was one of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who served during the Victory Day celebration.

Sun was assigned to work at a medical station at the back of a pavilion, west of the Tian'anmen Rostrum, to help a doctor and a nurse at the station care for members of the audience in case of need.

"Many of the guests invited to the grand event are veteran soldiers or close relatives－all of senior age－and they might feel uncomfortable after sitting for a long time under the hot sun," Sun said.

He said he was honored to be part of the grand celebration and doesn't think being involved in the event squeezed his study time.

"We spent one day for training. In the morning, we studied war history; then, in the afternoon, we studied first aid and simple medical knowledge," he said.

"I love the feeling of being part of it. I knew I'd come when the school started to recruit volunteers."

Sun's biggest regret, however, is that as a volunteer working on Tian'anmen Square he was not able to see a single moment of the parade. In fact, he was not allowed to leave his medical station, located along the back wall of the three-story-high west pavilion.

When I asked if he had regrets, he hesitated for a second, then said it's his job.

When the Air Force formation flew over and many in the audience held up their smartphones to take pictures, I looked back toward the gate of the pavilion. I saw Sun peeking from outside, his face glowing with happiness.

"We could hear the cheers and applause from the pavilion, although we could not see the soldiers and the equipment. But I still think it was worth it," he said.

On my way back from the parade, I noticed technicians were uninstalling the communication cables strung over Tian'anmen Square to help reporters send stories promptly. Cleansers were already in place to clean up the streets, and police officers were guiding traffic to help thousands of people exit the square.

Apart from the soldiers, military equipment and fighter planes that have always been in the spotlight, there are many unseen heroes behind China's largest celebration on the anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).