China's top leaders Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing, and Li Lanqing joined Beijing residents in parks today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

　 Jiang and Hu participated in the largescale celebration at the Worker's Palace of Culture east of Tiananmen Square, in the morning. It was beautifully decorated with flowers and buntings and sported a 14 meter by 9 meter red flag, just inside the southern entrance.

　 The Palace of Culture was the Imperial Ancestral Temple during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911).

　 There was a drum performance and group dance for the elderly. Jiang spoke with some workers and military officers who have been recognized for their contribution to the country, and posed for a group photo.

　 Professional performers from Beijing and other parts of the country also provided holiday entertainment with theatrical programs and Jiang and Hu watched dance performances in the main hall of the park.

　 Li Peng and Wei Jianxing toured Zhongshan Park to the west of Tiananmen where they were welcomed by children alongside the main road to the park and they joined other holiday makers in observing the flowers and exotic plants in the park.

　 Most of the people were posing for photos in front of the park's 10 flower beds. Li and Wei shook hands with members of China's 56 ethnic groups and watched a Beijing opera performance by local children, then went to the Concert Hall to join 1,400 people for a musical performance. In Beihai Park, north of the Forbidden City, Zhu Rongji and Li Lanqing enjoyed themselves with other visitors. With a miniature Great Wall and Yellow River waterfall as a backdrop, they shook hands with some teachers and had a look at a painting on a long roll of paper done by more than a hundred children. Tiantan Park, where the Temple of Heaven is located, looked more like a sports stadium with acrobats and amateur gymnasts performing there. There Li Ruihuan watched physical exercises performed by well-off Chinese figures. The park celebrations will continue over the next 3 days. (Xinhua)