No Smog of War for China's Military Parade

Beijing: The sun shone on Xi Jinping's World War II victory parade in Beijing on Thursday after authorities imposed widespread curbs on factories and vehicles to curb the capital's notorious pollution.

Surrounded by ageing heavy industrial plants, Beijing is regularly cloaked in choking smog that causes widespread anger among its residents.

But when it will take centre spot on the world stage -- for sporting championships, global diplomatic gatherings or shows of military strength -- authorities pull out all the stops to clean up the environment.

Factory production and construction activities in Beijing and surrounding cities and provinces were suspended or limited from late August.

At the same time odd-even number plate restrictions on private cars were imposed in the capital.

It worked, with blue skies on Thursday and for the World Athletics Championships that the city hosted until the weekend.

Thursday was also declared a nationwide public holiday, and much of central Beijing -- a city of more than 21 million people -- shut down.

Shops, restaurants and even food markets were closed, with the start of school term delayed and Beijing's main airport -- the world's second-busiest -- suspending operations for three hours.

Even rain that fell for two days earlier in the week and forecast for the coming days spared the parade, which saw 12,000 troops and 500 pieces of hardware roll through Tiananmen Square, and a flypast by around 200 aircraft.

The China Meteorological Administration denied speculation authorities had turned to cloud seeding, saying the weather was "totally natural", according to the Beijing News.

The clear atmosphere was dubbed "parade blue" by Chinese citizens, echoing the "APEC blue" they enjoyed ahead of last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit.

At the time online commentators dismissed the hue as "something that is beautiful but fleeting and ultimately inauthentic".