China celebrates centenary of Communist Party

To employ the phrase favoured in Beijing, what does socialism with Chinese characteristics look like, particularly under the strongest ruler since Mao? What does Xi Jinping mean when he tells a cheering audience on Tiananmen Square there will be no more "bullying" from the outside world?To get more news about Chinese Communist Party, you can visit shine news official website.

And what makes this Communist Party such a success? Some liken it to an authoritarian state apparatus meets the rotary club, with members ranging from students to all the top business leaders. Here in the West, we have been raised on the notion that history aspires to a liberal democracy that someday the whole planet will embrace. But what about China?
Speaking above the giant portrait of Mao Zedong, which dominates Tiananmen Square, from the podium where the famous chairman proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xi said the "era of China being bullied is gone forever" praising the party for uplifting incomes and restoring national pride.

Drawing a line from the subjugation of the Opium Wars to the struggle to establish a socialist revolution in China, Xi said the party has brought about "national rejuvenation" lifting tens of millions from poverty and "altered the landscape of world development."

Xi, wearing a 'Mao-style' jacket, added the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical course" and vowed to continue to build a "world-class" military to defend national interests.

In the summer of 1921 Mao and a clutch of Marxist-Leninist thinkers in Shanghai founded the party which has since morphed into one of the world's most powerful political organisations.

It now counts around 95 million members, garnered over a century of war, famine and turmoil, and more recently a surge to superpower status butting up against western rivals, led by the US.

In a ceremony of pomp and patriotism, thousands of singers, backed by a marching band, belted out stirring choruses including "We Are the Heirs of Communism" and "Without the Communist Party there would be no New China" as maskless invitees cheered and waved flags in a packed Tiananmen Square.

A fly-by of helicopters in formation spelling '100' -- a giant hammer and sickle flag trailing -- and a 100-gun salute followed, while young communists in unison pledged allegiance to the party.Xi, whose speech braided the economic miracle of China with the longevity of the party, has cemented his eight-year rule through a personality cult, ending term limits and declining to anoint a successor.

He has purged rivals and crushed dissent -- from Uyghur Muslims and online critics to pro-democracy protests on Hong Kong's streets.

The party has pivoted to new challenges; using tech to renew its appeal for younger generations -- 12.55 million members are now aged 30 or younger -- while giving a communist finish to a consumer economy decorated by billionaire entrepreneurs.

On Beijing's streets, praise for the party was effusive from those willing to speak to foreign media."We should thank the party and the motherland," said Li Luhao, 19, a student at Beihang University performing in the celebration.A man surnamed Wang, 42, said: "When I was a child there was a blackout for one hour every night and electricity shortages."