China has banned flying kites, drones and captive pigeons over central Beijing as it prepares for a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule on October 1.
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A public notice posted Sunday on the Beijing government's website said that flying activities that affect flight safety would be prohibited in seven of the capital city's 16 districts from September 15 to October 1.
China is holding parade rehearsals for the second weekend in a row. Military planes flew over the route Sunday, after tanks and other military vehicles rumbled along the same road the previous night.
The parade is part of a huge ceremony planned at Beijing's Tiananmen Square to mark the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
Communist forces took power after defeating Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist army in a civil war. The Nationalists retreated to the island of Taiwan, where they set up a rival government called the Republic of China.
President Xi Jinping will deliver a speech at the ceremony, and more than 100,000 people will take part in what is described as a "mass pageantry".
Organisers have said that the military parade will be larger than ones held on the 50th and 60th anniversaries, as well as the last one held in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Tiananmen Square was closed to visitors over the weekend and due to reopen on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Some roads and subway stations were also closed at various times, as well as access to buildings along the parade route.
Australian Associated Press
