From the precise angle of each boot to the exact height of every stride, members of China’s national flag escort unit are fine-tuning their movements to achieve perfection ahead of the upcoming V-Day military parade.
Scheduled for September 3 in Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square, the parade will mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
At the heart of the solemn ceremony is the elite flag escort unit, entrusted with the sacred duty of raising the national flag.
Many of the soldiers are newly enlisted recruits, with no prior experience in diplomatic ceremonies or large-scale public events. Yet they are expected to execute their roles with absolute perfection.
"We have conducted rehearsals and ensemble trainings in various settings and formats to prepare for our mission. This has enhanced the psychological resilience of new recruits and improved their ability to successfully complete the task," said Zou Chao, a member of the unit.
Despite the short distance -- just hundreds of meters from the Monument to the People's Heroes to the national flagpole -- the journey is one of immense symbolic weight and technical complexity.
The route requires the formation to execute four gait transitions -- shifting seamlessly between quick march and ceremonial step -- and two formation changes.
Every step must align perfectly with the rhythm of the cannon fire, a challenge made even greater by one striking fact: this is the only unit marching without musical accompaniment.
"During the transitions between marching paces, we must keep track of which salute shot is being fired while simultaneously monitoring exactly which step we are on. The timing must be highly accurate and perfectly synchronized," said Zhang Zhen, a fellow unit member.
The leadership role falls to three squad leaders at the front of the formation. Clad in ceremonial uniforms and wielding gleaming swords, they lead with unwavering precision. Each movement -- drawing the sword, holding it upright, carrying it aloft -- is executed with millimeter-perfect accuracy. Even the angle of their scabbards is identical.
The three soldiers are also responsible for guiding the entire formation's rhythm and alignment, so their movements must be highly consistent.
"From the start of the mission to the end of the national anthem, seven command orders must be issued in total. As the squad leaders, we are spaced far apart, and we need to repeatedly practice transitioning between marching and standing still. Therefore, we have to multitask without the slightest lapse in attention," said Liu Yongjiu, one of the squad leaders guiding the formation.
At the very front of the formation marches the national flag bearer, who shoulders a 3.81-meter-tall flagpole weighing 15 kilograms. To simulate the instability caused by wind, the soldiers train with backpack straps tied to the pole and pull in different directions to build strength and balance.
Two critical moments define the entire ceremony: hooking the flag and unfurling it -- a single, sweeping motion that must open the massive flag into a perfect fan shape.
"This is a special national flag, measuring 5 meters in length and 3.3 meters in width, with a total area of 16.5 square meters. To ensure it can be unfurled into a perfect fan shape, I often use a 5-kilogram dumbbell to simulate the flag-unfurling motion during training," said Zhang Wei, one of the soldiers responsible for flag display precision.
There are no shortcuts in this pursuit of excellence. Every detail -- the tilt of a boot, the swing of an arm, the timing of a breath -- has been rehearsed thousands of times. Soldiers train relentlessly, often for hours each day, under scorching sun.
National flag guards intensify training for upcoming V-Day military parade
