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The irony of the Empire State Building being lit in red and yellow in deference to the commemoration is not lost. In 2009, China is Maoist and "Communist" in n

The irony of the Empire State Building being lit in red and yellow in deference to the commemoration is not lost. In 2009, China is Maoist and "Communist" in name only; in fact, much of the awe-inspiring artifacts and sophisticated technologies on display in the parade are principally features of a >= Deng Xiaoping environment - well, maybe starting with Hu Yaoban. Meanwhile, in 1949 when the authentic Maoists seized power, the US provided entirely nontrivial military aid and financial assistance to the retreating Kuomintang (nationalist) government, and did much to try to suffocate the revolution in its cradle after the PLA did seize power. Now the US salutes them (and warmly encourages them to maybe continue buying Treasuries... please?), and meanwhile there is nothing in the faintest bit "Communist" about the establishment, save for the nomenclature and iconic imagery of the incumbent power structure.

est 17y ago
> much of the awe-inspiring artifacts and sophisticated technologies on display in the parade are principally features of a >= Deng Xiaoping environment - well, maybe starting with Hu Yaoban. Sorry, but most of the ass-kicking weapons were from Mao's. Deng? He buys foreign things and never make ones themselves.
- abalashov 17y ago
  True, but I was not really referring to the ass-kicking weapons, but rather the features of the modern Chinese economic boom seen in the background (not literally - I'm talking about the all-around context and its aesthetic ligaments).
- varjag 17y ago
  There were precious little weapons originated under Mao regime. They were either of Soviet manufacture, or straightforward copies of Soviet designs. The (often brilliant) Chinese engineers were instead plowing paddy fields in correction villages.
papersmith 17y ago
After the faction-change and Sino-Soviet split, the US actually sold weapons to PRC. It lasted until 1989 where the Tiananmen Square protest ended it all with a PR disaster. Ironically PRC has more Black Hawk helicopters than Taiwan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-60_Black_Hawk#Military_operators http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-60_Black_Hawk#Military_opera... Also not sure if anyone noticed some of the choppers during the parade were Eurocopter Dauphins. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Dauphin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Dauphin

est 17y ago

> much of the awe-inspiring artifacts and sophisticated technologies on display in the parade are principally features of a >= Deng Xiaoping environment - well, maybe starting with Hu Yaoban. Sorry, but most of the ass-kicking weapons were from Mao's. Deng? He buys foreign things and never make ones themselves.

abalashov 17y ago
True, but I was not really referring to the ass-kicking weapons, but rather the features of the modern Chinese economic boom seen in the background (not literally - I'm talking about the all-around context and its aesthetic ligaments).
varjag 17y ago
There were precious little weapons originated under Mao regime. They were either of Soviet manufacture, or straightforward copies of Soviet designs. The (often brilliant) Chinese engineers were instead plowing paddy fields in correction villages.

papersmith 17y ago

After the faction-change and Sino-Soviet split, the US actually sold weapons to PRC. It lasted until 1989 where the Tiananmen Square protest ended it all with a PR disaster. Ironically PRC has more Black Hawk helicopters than Taiwan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-60_Black_Hawk#Military_operators http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-60_Black_Hawk#Military_opera... Also not sure if anyone noticed some of the choppers during the parade were Eurocopter Dauphins. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Dauphin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_Dauphin