A colorful array of floats on Thursday morning marched past the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, as the final part of a grand parade celebrating the plateau region's 60th founding anniversary.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other senior officials joined around 20,000 local officials and people from all ethnic groups and all walks of life in the celebration.
The float parade showcased the culture and history of seven cities and regions in Xizang, namely, Lhasa, Xigaze, Shannan, Nyingchi, Qamdo, Nagqu and Ngari.
The float representing Lhasa, a city with a history of over 1,300 years, is themed on "city of culture, sunlight, ecology, leisure and hospitality". The costumes of the performers drew inspiration from Lhasa's traditional attire and blended modern elements. Their performance formed the shape of Gesang flower, a flower popular in Xizang's folklore.
The second float came from Xigaze, the second largest city in Xizang and central gateway to South Asia. Known as Xizang's granary and home to the Tibetan opera, it's also a renowned city of culture and history. The powerful dance moves of the performers conveyed the people's high spirits in carving out their bright future.
In January this year, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri County and surrounding areas in Xigaze. President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts. With the support of local government and the entire society, the affected residents have now moved into new homes.
Following the third float representing Shannan, in southeastern Xizang, performers staged a traditional dance, a kind of waist drum dance, showcasing the vitality of local ethnic groups and their aspiration of building their homeland. With a history of more than 1,300 years, the dance has been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.
On the float of Nyingchi City, the name of Galai Village stood out. Boasting a vast number of peach trees, mostly wild, across its mountainous terrain, Galai Village is known for its picturesque views of white flower blooms with snow-capped mountains in the background. The unique landscape has become a cultural and economic symbol of the plateau region.
Nyingchi also boasts the wondrous Namcha Barwa Peak and the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, attracting a large number of tourists and geoscientific studies.
Prior to the parade, a grand gathering was held at the Potala Palace square in celebration of the autonomous region's founding anniversary.
Colorful floats join grand parade marking 60th founding anniversary of Xizang Autonomous Region
