What better way to show off a nation’s might during its National Day than a military exposition? Hence the “The 1st Suzhou in 2025” National Defense, Military & Aerospace Science Popularisation Exhibition now on at Suzhou Shishan International Conference Centre.
在国庆节期间，还有什么比军事博览会更好的展示国家实力的方式呢？于是，“2025第一届苏州”国防军事航天科普展正在苏州狮山国际会议中心拉开帷幕。
Visiting on 4 October, this correspondent’s attention was first grabbed by the 5-year old girl posing for photos clutching the means to kill another human being.
10 月 4 日，记者来到这里，首先引起注意的是一名 5 岁女孩拿着杀人工具摆姿势拍照。
Indeed, children make up a surprisingly large proportion of the packed-out expo’s attendees, a fact ironically underscored by this correspondent’s lone attendance resulting in asking a member of staff to take his photo standing on a tank while a line of youngsters awaited.
事实上，在拥挤的世博会参加者中，儿童所占的比例令人惊讶，具有讽刺意味的是，这位记者独自出席，结果要求一名工作人员站在坦克上拍照，而一排年轻人在等待。
Their presence was also explained partially on account of it being a holiday but also as a real life case study in the kind of science popularisation much touted by the authorities over the past 5 years or more.
他们的出现部分是因为这是一个假期，但也是当局在过去五年或更长时间里大力吹捧的科普活动的现实生活案例研究。
While many of the smaller items on display were undoubtedly the real thing, questions remained over the authenticity of others. The big-ticket items, for example such as the J-10 performance aircraft, darling of China’s air shows since 2009, had the crowds queuing for an hour for a chance to sit (and wave the flag) in something that may as well have been bought on Taobao.
虽然展出的许多小物品无疑是真品，但其他物品的真实性仍然存在疑问。例如自 2009 年以来成为中国航展宠儿的歼 10 高性能飞机等高价商品，让人群排了一个小时的队，只为有机会坐在（并挥舞旗帜）那些可能是在淘宝上购买的飞机上。
The fakes also stood out for their merely being representative of China’s aging military hardware; the absence of the new kit underscoring the high-level security nature thereof.
这些假货之所以引人注目，还因为它们仅仅代表了中国老化的军事硬件。新套件的缺席凸显了其高级别安全性。
Yet there was also much tugging at the heartstrings; conveniently placed displays in one instance charting the daring mission undertaken by 15 airborne solderirs on 14 May, 2008, to jump blind from an altitude of 5,000 metres into the disaster zone that followed the wenchuan earthquake for relief efforts that guided many more to bring in that which was most desperately needed.
然而，也有很多事情牵动着我们的心弦。在一个方便放置的展览中，展示了 2008 年 5 月 14 日 15 名空降兵执行的大胆任务，他们在汶川地震后从 5,000 米的高空盲目跳入灾区开展救灾工作，并引导更多人运送最急需的物资。
But most fascinating of all was the exhibition as a means for enforcing the capacity of the regime and a faith therein among the masses.
但最令人着迷的是，展览作为加强政权能力和群众信仰的一种手段。
The exhibition continues and concludes on 7 October. Tickets cost ¥68 with various promotional prices and concessions available.
展览仍在继续，并于 10 月 7 日结束。票价68元，有多种促销价格和优惠。
