From AP:
Until last week, Alice Li’s summer plans were simple: work part-time at a convenience store, study for graduate exams and go to the amusement park with friends.
The upcoming celebration of 60 years of communist rule in China has changed all that. For many students in Beijing, the summer holidays will instead center around government-mandated drills for an elaborate parade to mark the Oct. 1 event.
Li, a third-year student at the Capital Institute of Physical Education, will have to quit her job and put everything else on hold to attend practice. For now, the sessions before class last only about half an hour — but will stretch to three when school lets out at the end of July.
