A huge picture of Chinese President Hu Jintao passed by the Tian'anmen Square Thursday morning amid applause and cheers at a grand parade to celebrate New China's 60th founding anniversary.

A total of 3,000 paraders, each holding a bunch of flowers of various colors, gathered in a formation around the picture, waving and cheering at spectators.

The float also broadcast an excerption from one of Hu's most important speeches -- "work hard to achieve new victories in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and write a new chapter of happy life for the people!"

The excerption was the final sentences of the speech that Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, delivered at the 17th CPC National Congress on Oct. 15, 2007.

It was also at this congress that the Scientific Outlook on Development was incorporated into the Party Constitution. The political guideline was brought forward by Hu in 2003 to stress people-oriented, coordinated and sustainable economic and social development.

Henry H.L. Hu, President of Hong Kong-based Shue Yan University, who is invited to the grand parade ceremony, said President Hu's governing style featured prudence and steadiness.

Since Hu became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in late 2002, he has been able to get hold of the trend of China's political and economic development and make steady progress, he said.

"Over the last six years or so, China has found new ways to build socialism with Chinese characteristics and made great achievements," he told Xinhua at the reviewing stand beside the Tian'anmen Rostrum.

"China is growing stronger, but there are resistance forces in other parts of the world. So I wish China could adhere to current policies and continue developing," he said.

Following Hu's picture was another 4,000-parader formation, which carried such slogans as "Apply Scientific Outlook on Development" and "Unswervingly Adhere to the Path of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" in the backdrop of gigantic Chinese characters -- "Harmonious Society" displayed on the Tian'anmen Square.

Social harmony is also a core part of Hu's theory on the Scientific Outlook on Development.