BEIJING – Many tourist spots, hotels, restaurants and shops in downtown Beijing closed Tuesday amid tightened security as the capital prepared for Thursday's massive parade marking the 60th anniversary of communist rule.
A keynote address from President Hu Jintao is expected, followed by an elaborate military parade and performances involving 200,000 people, 60 floats and fireworks. Authorities plan to ground flights into and out of Beijing for three hours during the parade, according to state media. The restrictions are similar to ones for last year's Beijing Olympics.
The Forbidden City and the Great Hall of the People were shut Tuesday along with many businesses on Chang An Avenue, the city's major east-west boulevard, including the Raffles and Beijing hotels, supermarkets, Starbucks coffee shops, noodle stalls and tourist boutiques.
Armed pairs of riot police stood guard beside armored vehicles at many of the avenue's intersections, while subway riders and their bags were scanned with metal detectors. China has even banned the sale of knives at some stores, including large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour.
Tiananmen Square itself and a few other tourist spots, including the Silk Street Shopping Mall, were to close Wednesday.
A row of shops that usually sell watches, silk pajamas and other souvenirs a few blocks east of Tiananmen Square had its doors taped over with a Beijing police seal, and notices posted nearby said most would reopen Friday.