The weapons and equipment in this parade were basically domestically-made. Of the six types of artillery, five were made in China. The Type 59 medium tanks equipped by the armor division were made in China, and this type of tank was the first generation of main battle tanks independently made in China. The design was approved, the production launched and the troops equipped with this type of tanks in the same year, ending China’s history of being unable to produce tanks. The reviewed fighter division was an echelon formed by J-5 fighters. The latest type of automatic rifles used by the reviewed troops was also independently made in China. This meant that the modernization of the PLA’s weapons and equipment had entered a new stage.
The National Day military parade of 1959 was the 11th National Day military parade of New China and was attended by 700,000 people from all walks of life - more than any of the previous National Day ceremonies. The number of reviewed officers and soldiers was 11,018. The scale of this ceremony was larger than that of previous ones, but it took just 58 minutes, indicating that the parade organization work was more careful, considerate and mature.
