Tian'anmen gets early makeover for grand parade in September

The annual repainting of the red walls in Tian'anmen Square and repairs to surrounding roads has begun early this year ahead of the grand parade on Sept 3 marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Repairs to the stone road crossing the square that was built in 1958 are expected to be completed on Friday.

The original 350-kg stones in the road came from Laizhou, Shandong province, - the same origin as the 64,000 stones now in use, said Zhang Aijun, head of the municipal transportation commission's urban road maintenance office, in an interview with Beijing Television on Sunday.