国内英语新闻:Troops ready for China's Army Day parade

ZHURIHE, Inner Mongolia, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Troops gathered Sunday morning at the Zhurihe military training base in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region for a military parade to mark the 90th birthday of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

It is the first time that China commemorates Army Day with a military parade since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The PLA has come a long way since its birth in the Nanchang Uprising on Aug. 1, 1927. Today, the PLA commands about two million service personnel, one of the world's largest military forces. The Army Day falls on Aug. 1.

Covering more than 1,000 square kilometers, Zhurihe is the largest military training base in Asia. It is also the site that has witnessed several major PLA exercises and international war games.