China Beijing Anniversary

The Chinese capital was shrouded in tight security and fog Wednesday when police blocked the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and other sights in front of a massive parade marking the 60th anniversary of the communist regime.

Many tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops in downtown Beijing was already closed before the event on Thursday is expected to rival Olympic opening ceremony last year.

The Forbidden City and the Great Hall of the People, was closed, along with many businesses located in Chang An, the main street that runs east-west through the city, including the Raffles Beijing hotels, grocery stores, Starbucks coffee, the Mom and small - pop noodle places and tourist shops.

Pairs armed police SWAT helmets stood guard with armored vehicles at many intersections along Chang An, while the earth, the passengers passed through metal detectors and have their bags scanned. State media said that most subway stations at Tiananmen area would be closed late Wednesday or early Thursday.

A thick fog hung over the city - the threat of decreasing the expected jets overflying and fireworks. The official news agency Xinhua quoted Guo Hu, director of Beijing Meteorological Station, said that 18 planes were waiting to clear the air with cloud seeding, which is believed to induce rain, if necessary.

Similar actions took place last year during the Olympic Games in Beijing 1100 when he shot silver iodide rockets to spread rain on the eve of the opening ceremony. Chinese officials claimed that the rockets successful completion of a belt of rain that threatened to reach the capital and drench the ceremony. International scientists say they have never been proof that such methods produce results.

The tests in recent weeks have included airplanes and helicopters fly in formation over the city, smoke-spewing jets of red, blue and yellow that they use.

First and foremost the opportunity to showcase the country could be a massive military parade, the festivities are to include a "parade of civilians", with nearly 100,000 people participating and 60 floats. Tens of thousands of pigeons, 5,000 children carrying balloons and a chorus of thousands of people to be part of the show, Xinhua said.