China's air force will deploy 18 aircraft to spray cloud dispersal chemicals into the atmosphere around Beijing, while "48 fog dispersal vehicles" will use similar technology at airports around the capital, the Global Times reported.

"It is the first time in Chinese history that artificial weather modification on such (a) large scale has been attempted," the paper quoted Cui Lianqing, an air force meteorologist, as saying.

"There are still a lot of uncertainties with the weather, and sometimes people can't work against nature ... but we are trying our best."

China is planning a massive parade, song and dance performances and fireworks at Tiananmen Square on October 1 to mark the day when revolutionary leader Mao Tse-tung proclaimed the state's founding in 1949.