There will be celebrations and military parades on different scales every five or ten years. In history, the most influential and representative ones are the six military parades of the founding ceremony, the fifth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the 10th anniversary, the 35th anniversary, the 50th anniversary and the 60th anniversary.

Fourteen National Day military parades have been held since the founding ceremony in 1949.

From 1949 to 1959, 11 National Day military parades were held.

In September 1960, the central committee of the communist party of China and the state council implemented the policy of "practicing strict economy and being diligent and thrifty in the founding of a nation", reformed the National Day ceremony system, and implemented the "five-year small celebration, 10-year great celebration and military parade on daqing".

In 1964, the ministry of national defense issued a military order that listed the military parade for the first time. Subsequently, no National Day military parade was held for 24 consecutive years due to the "cultural revolution" and other reasons.

In 1984, under deng xiaoping's proposal, the CPC central committee decided to resume the parade and held a large National Day military parade on the 35th anniversary of National Day in 1984.

In 1999, the communist party of China (CPC) central committee decided to hold a military parade for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The National Day parade was held on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2009.