China Celebrates its 70th Birthday

On October 1, 2019, China celebrated its 70th birthday of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  In Bejing’s Tiananmen Square, celebrations for the founding of the People’s Republic of China occurred that were “open to officials, select members and foreign dignitaries only, but [the festivities] will be watched by hundreds of millions of people around the country”.  The celebrations included a speech from President Xi Jinping, a large military parade, a gala and performance held in the square, and there were also celebrations of the culture and civil life. The article by BBC News that I read, showed the extensive military parade that included “15,000 miliary personal, 580 pieces of military equipment and 160 aircraft that made an appearance”. To me, this type of military parade was used to show off all their new and power armory that they could use whenever they need as they also included some of their new technology of military tanks, helicopters, DF-41, and their new intercontinental ballistic missile. After the military parade, there was a performance that included about 100,000 civilian performers from farms, teachers, doctors, and students on floats. This day was not only about celebration. There were protesters in the streets of Hong Kong where police used tear gas and arrested those who were blocking the streets. The protesters were protesting Bejing’s increasing control over the territory’s society and politics. The protests caused security in Bejing to be increased for the weeks leading up to this large celebration with strict control over anything in the air over the area where the parade was to take place. This article also included a short summary of the protests occurring in Hong Kong and two short videos. The first includes clips of celebrations of China’s 70th birthday; the second is about a former Communist soldier telling his story. I found this second video very interesting and I would encourage those interested in China’s history to watch it.