China Celebrates National Day with Flag-Raising and Ceremonies
The Chinese Communist Party commemorated the founding of the nation as a communist “people’s republic” in 1949 on Thursday. This event featured flag-raising ceremonies across the country, government-organized activities that honored Mao Zedong, and a lavish banquet for communist officials in Beijing.
The banquet took place on the evening of September 30. On Thursday morning, Tiananmen Square witnessed a gathering of over 100,000 people, who came to watch the national flag being raised at dawn—a stark historical site known for one of the Communist Party’s worst massacres. Other ceremonies honoring the “people’s republic” were organized in Tibet, East Turkistan, and even included the raising of the Chinese flag in contested areas of the South China Sea.
China’s National Day is a significant occasion, marking the formal birth of the People’s Republic of China. For much of the upcoming week, the government encourages citizens to reflect on Mao’s so-called “achievements,” despite many of these events having devastating consequences. For instance, state media is acknowledging the 90th anniversary of the end of the “Long March” in 1934, during which Mao forced an army of around 100,000 people to march over 6,000 miles. Sadly, only about 4,000 survived that journey, notably including Mao himself.
After rising to power, Mao initiated deadly campaigns like the “Great Leap Forward” and the “Cultural Revolution.” The Great Leap Forward is estimated to have led to the deaths of approximately 45 million people, and Mao also instituted the “one-child policy,” which enforced harsh limits on family sizes for decades, claiming it “prevented” around 400 million births.
During the banquet, Xi Jinping, who recently returned from a trip to Washington, delivered a speech that celebrated the supposed inevitable “great national rejuvenation” under the Communist Party’s leadership.
“The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable,” Xi proclaimed to roughly 800 officials in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, as reported by state media. “If we stay confident and focused, success will surely belong to the great CPC, the great Chinese people, and the great People’s Republic of China.”
He expressed pride in the achievements of New China, extolling confidence in the future of Chinese modernization. While his tone was optimistic, he didn’t delve into many specifics regarding public policy aimed at revitalizing the sluggish Chinese economy or enhancing China’s waning global influence. The phrase “national rejuvenation” is often used in this context to signal the ambition to establish China as the world’s leading power while diminishing America’s superpower status.
Xi also mentioned plans for China to “promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity” to add positive energy in a chaotic world.
According to reports, Xi only made brief remarks concerning Taiwan, a region the Communist Party considers a breakaway “province,” and the ongoing takeover of Hong Kong and Macau.
Additionally, Wednesday marked “Martyrs’ Day” in China, paying respects to the millions who lost their lives in Mao’s totalitarian regime. Xi attended a ceremony to honor their memory.
In Tiananmen Square, crowds gathered for the traditional flag-raising ceremony at dawn on October 1. “As the first light broke early Thursday, shortly after 6:00 a.m., the national flag was hoisted over Tian’anmen Square,” reported state-run media. A large flower basket inscribed with “Blessings to the Motherland” stood proudly in the center, gathering visitors who had arrived from various parts the night before.
Interestingly, the celebrations were described as “quieter” in East Turkistan, where the Chinese government has been accused of committing genocide against the Uyghur, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz populations for about a decade.
Officers in the area were seen traveling around, cleaning boundary markers and repainting them red, in a show of National Day spirit, as reported by Beijing News.
The Communist Party’s influence extended even to the waters, as its flag was raised over the Scarborough Shoal, which is recognized as Philippine territory.
In space, Chinese astronauts also took part in the celebration, reflecting on the “glory” of the nation’s space program. One astronaut remarked, “For 70 years, generations have gazed at the stars and strived to create the glory of China’s space efforts.”
