The grand National Day parade came to an end at Tian'anmen Square with tens of thousands of colorful balloons released to the sky Thursday noon.

The whole square was turned into a carnival site of roaring applauses and cheering and the backdrop slogan "Long live the People's Republic of China" becomes more eye-catching.

Chinese Party and State leaders on the Tian'anmen Rostrum were waving to the rapturous youngsters, who were jumping and cheering and reluctant to leave the square.

The military and civilian parade lasted for around two and a half hours.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2009)