The Forbidden City and other popular tourist venues will begin closing to visitors starting tomorrow, just two days out from the National Day holiday.

Iconic venues including the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Rostrum, and the Great Hall of the People will close tomorrow at 3 pm, and reopen on Friday at the earliest, the Tian'anmen Square managing authority told METRO.

Tian'anmen Square will also be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

President Hu Jintao, along with other State leaders and VIPs, will watch a two-hour military and civilian parade from the rostrum on Thursday at 10 am.

A gala event organized by Olympic ceremony director Zhang Yimou and fireworks director Cai Guoqiang will be staged later that night.

Beijing police expect tens of thousands of tourists to visit the square when it reopens on Oct 2. The authority is yet to announce the exact time when the square will reopen.

Meanwhile, security is tight in Beijing, with police officers citywide and in nearby provinces being mobilized for the operation. The city's 1 million security volunteers, including expatriates living in Beijing, will work full-time starting today.

On Wednesday, the capital's 7,000 traffic police, equipped with GPS devices, will be in charge of clearing a path for thousands of servicemen and women, armed vehicles and 200,000 performers for the parade.

A command center has been set up at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, just east of Tian'anmen Square, to monitor security during the celebrations. From there, military, police and officials will monitor live footage from 40,000 cameras in Beijing.

Questions:

1. What is the name of the fireworks designer?

2. What day will the square reopen?

3. How many traffic police have been enlisted to clear paths for servicemen and women in Beijing this week?

Answers:

1. Cai Guoqiang

2. October 2

3. 7,000

（英语点津 许雅宁编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Chantal Anderson is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site. Originally from Seattle, Washington she has found her way around the world doing photo essays in Greece, Mexico and Thailand. She is currently completing a double degree in Journalism and International Studies from the University of Washington.