China: Tiananmen Square road made 'explosion-proof'

Changan Avenue is the main east-west artery in central Beijing

One of Beijing's main thoroughfares has been made "explosion proof" as part of upgrades ahead of a major military parade, it's reported.

Changan Avenue, which runs along the north side of Tiananmen Square, has been fitted with a protective layer underneath that makes it more than a metre thick in places, according to a China News Service report published in the Shenzhen Evening Post. A mixture of anti-explosive materials, and layers of tarmac and concrete mean the avenue is now more than twice the thickness of an average road surface, the report says. Line 1 of Beijing's subway runs beneath Changan Avenue, and it's apparently this which prompted officials to undertake the upgrade.

The city is sprucing up the whole area ahead of a huge military parade in September marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. Hundreds of flagstones are being replaced, new decorative fences will be installed and the famous Tiananmen Gate is being repainted, the South China Morning Post reports. For the first time, foreign troops have been invited to take part in the parade alongside China's armed forces.

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