Gong Zuomin, a 73-year-old retired engineer from Shenzhen, was so excited about yesterday's celebrations that he woke up at 6am, an hour and a half earlier than usual.
He wanted to make sure none of his family would miss the parade, and tried unsuccessfully to wake his son and daughter-in-law. At 9.30am, shortly before the parade was to start, he warned them that they would regret it forever if they missed it.
'I've got to say 'very' three times to describe how I feel at the moment,' he said. 'China is very strong, we Chinese are very proud of our country, and we lead a very good life.'
Gong was one of hundreds of millions of people across the country who tuned in to watch the military and civilian parade marking 60 years of the People's Republic.
In Guangzhou, Sun Yat-sen University art professor Yao Youyi was a bundle of nerves as he sat with his family in front of his television. The 41-year-old was a lead designer of Guangdong's float.
'I was describing the design of the float when it popped up on the screen and my heart started to beat faster,' he said. 'It was very nerve-racking to watch, but it went off without a hitch, which was a big relief.'