China's massive WW-II victory parade today brought the country's new and old generation leaders on one stage for the first time, amid reports of resentment among those retired over massive anti-graft drive launched by President Xi Jinping.
The retired leaders who shared the stage along with Xi atop the iconic Tiananmen Rostrum included former president Jiang Zemin, 89, the most regarded retired party leader who commanded loyalties of officials of various ranks.
Jiang's successor Hu Jintao, 72, who handed over the power to Xi in 2012 along with three former premiers Li Peng, Zhu Rongji and Wen Jiabao took part in the event.
As per the convention of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), retired Chinese leaders withdraw from public life and lead a peaceful retired lives.
As he emerged as the most powerful leader in recent times, Xi, 63, who headed the CPC, the military and the government, quickly consolidated his hold on power after he took over the office two years ago.
In the massive anti-graft campaign Xi carried out in which thousands of officials faced investigations, he broke the unwritten CPC convention of not to prosecute the retired leaders by ordering probe against Zhou Yangkong, the former national security chief in the Hu's administration who was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
Hu's close aide Ling Jihua also faced anti-graft probe. About 40 military officials faced similar investigations and many of them were believed to have owed allegiance to Jiang.
Xi has promoted several new officials to high ranks of the army after the purge.
Li Peng's health, who played a core role in the bloody crackdown of the 1989 student movement and whose family is believed to be a power player in China's electricity sector, has been under scrutiny in recent years but the state broadcast of the parade showed him apparently in good spirits, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
