Liu Tongbo trudged through Beijing looking for transport as the city centre shut down to make way for an unusual sight -- a stream of colourful floats, student performers... and missile-laden vehicles. 'I live in the suburbs but the tube isn't stopping in the city centre where I work, so I've been walking for 30 minutes,' the 45-year-old businessman said as the capital launched its final dress rehearsal for a National Day parade. Authorities are nervously preparing for Thursday's grandiose celebrations of communist China's 60th birthday, deploying thousands of extra police and shutting down huge swathes of the city, for both rehearsals and the main event. While many residents are excited by the mountains of flowers, giant red lanterns and national flags festooning the capital, others say they cannot wait for the once-a-decade patriotic party to end. 'I spent two hours trying to get home as I was stuck on the south side of the city and wasn't allowed across Chang'an Avenue,' said Melody, a 27-year-old Chinese entrepreneur who would only give her English name. Chang'an Avenue cuts through the heart of Beijing from east to west and flanks Tiananmen Square, where the much-awaited October 1 military parade and mass pageant of song and dance will take place. A total of 8,000 tanks and floats portraying China's achievements over six decades will roll along the avenue on Thursday, as some 200,000 soldiers and citizens march in honour of the People's Republic. Some hotels on the street have been forced to close down for four days around October 1, and residents like Melody who live in flats on the route have been ordered to obey strict rules, such as a ban on opening their windows. 'You can't go out on the balconies, and no guests are allowed from September 30 to October 1,' she said. Other Beijingers, like 23-year-old student Wang Tongyu, expressed joy over the upcoming festivities. 'The last time there was a parade was in 1999, when I was just 13,' Wang said. 'Now, seeing this 10 years later, I can see just how much I've developed along with the country.' But the huge flower arrangements and festive banners have been accompanied by draconian security measures in this city of 17 million people, in a show of force even stronger than that seen for last year's Olympic Games. Vehicles coming in and out of the capital are closely monitored, subway lines and roads have been closed with little warning, and security checks have been stepped up at sensitive sites such as Tiananmen Square and train stations. Police have also started nighttime armed patrols to avoid any disruption of the celebrations. 'This is a Chinese habit -- when they (authorities) want to do something, they want it 100 percent and they guarantee nothing happens (to disrupt it),' said Liu. And so the city centre has been shut down several times to make way for several huge parade dress rehearsals -- the closures caused such chaos that authorities cancelled a final practice run scheduled for Saturday. Beggars and homeless people are being cleared out in the run-up to the anniversary, and knife sales have been temporarily banned after two stabbing attacks took place south of Tiananmen Square despite a heavy security presence. Even wildlife is being controlled with a series of nighttime 'extermination sweeps' on the giant plaza aimed at bugs and rats. Beyond the celebrations and accompanying security, China's state television channels and official newspapers are awash with stories about National Day preparations and galas celebrating 60 years of development. 'It's too much but it's also normal -- 60 years are important in China, and the Chinese are very sentimental,' said Liu, referring to the tradition of big celebrations of milestone anniversaries. Further afield, ships carrying dangerous goods are to be banned from going through the Three Gorges Dam in central China for 10 days, and Beijing's airport will shut down for three hours during the parade. Residents living near Tiananmen Square will have to use a special pass just to move around the area. But for Liu, one of the security measures is most welcome. 'From September 29, offices along Chang'an Avenue where I work will have to close, so I get a total of 10 days' holiday for National Day,' he said with a smile. 