中国参加俄二战胜利70周年活动

The preparations are in full swing for the parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

Troops from many countries will march across Red Square to be reviewed by heads of state including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It is to be the biggest parade of its kind in modern Russia, and marks the first time China will have participated.

102 honor guards from three services of the Chinese military arrived in Moscow late last month and will march in newly designed uniforms.

"This is the first time that I've gone abroad and I'm proud of being a participant in such an event. In our spare time here, many soldiers from other participating countries came to us for photos. Peace really makes us soldiers feel good."

Li Bentao, commander of China's honor guard, says it's a great opportunity for Chinese soldiers to show respect to Russian veterans and for the country to show its determination in defending the hard-won victory.

Over the past days, to quickly sync up with the local time and get acclimated to local conditions, the Chinese soldiers woke up at 3 o'clock every morning and departed for training at four.

But commander Li admits there are still some difficulties, such as the potholes in the brick ground at Red Square as well as the way Chinese soldiers stride.

"The average stride length for Russian soldiers is 80 centimeters, while our standard is 75 centimeters per stride and 116 steps per minute. So it's a little difficult to keep pace with the Russian troops. Russian soldiers really look very vigorous during a parade, but we will try to be more synchronized."

The Chinese soldiers will be the first among the 10 foreign troops to appear in the square, while flag-bearer Zhang Honejie will lead the Chinese legion.

"I feel very proud of carrying the national flag. As a Chinese national, it's a glory. As a soldier, it's a mission. I'm confident that I can carry the flag very steadily in this parade."

So far, three rehearsals have been held. The Chinese troops impressed locals not only with their marching, but also the song they sang as they paraded.

The Russian folk song Katyusha was composed back in the late 1930s, becoming popular among Russian troops in the Great Patriotic War.

Zhang Hongjie says they made quite an effort to practice this.

"We had to remember the lyrics by homophonic translation. We spent a whole night learning the song and the whole following week improving our singing. When we sang it out during rehearsals, locals on the roadside applauded us and echoed us. The atmosphere was so impressive and our singing seemed to sound better at that time."

The Chinese soldiers are racing with time to tune themselves up for the festivities.

The parade will also involve 200 military vehicles and 150 aircraft.

The state-of-the-art Russian tank, the T-14 Armata, will be a highlight of the commemoration.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.