About 12,000 servicemen and women, World War II veterans and their families assembled around Beijing's Tian'anmen Square Thursday morning, ready for the V-Day parade.

It will be China's first military parade to mark the anniversary of the end of WWII and the victory of the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, and the first with foreign military participation in Beijing. China had held 14 military parades since 1949 at the Tian'anmen Square, all marking the founding of the People's Republic on Oct. 1.

Under the clear sky of an early Autumn morning, fresh parterres and colorful flags adorn the largest city square in the world. The parterre in the shape of the Great Wall dominates the scene, supporting two huge scarlet numbers, 1945 and 2015.

More than 40,000 spectators, including Chinese officials, citizens and foreign guests, are seated on bleachers beside the Tian'anmen Rostrum along Chang'an Avenue.

Nearly 200 aircraft to perform in the parade stand by at eight nearby airports in north China.

A 2,400-member military band and chorus will perform classic songs well known in the war, including the song "Safeguard the Yellow River" from the Yellow River Cantata, which was composed in 1939 and inspired numerous Chinese in the dark moments.

A total of 50 formations of the People's Liberation Army, including 11 foot phalanxes, 27 armament phalanxes, ten echelon formations of aircraft and two veteran teams, will attend the parade.

The highlight of the parade will be the display of more than 500 pieces of China's latest weaponry as well as nearly 200 aircraft of about 20 different models.

Nearly 1,000 foreign troops from 17 countries will participate in the parade. Among them Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Russia will each dispatch a 75-member formation to march in the parade.

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