Movie theaters in China are ordered to screen patriotic films with titles such as “The Sacrifice” and “The Red Sun”. Elementary students in some cities are encouraged to create paintings and calligraphy that honor the ‘Chinese dream’. Buses and subways send out nationalist messages about revolutionary heroes.
The Communist Party of China is preparing for a patriotic extravaganza to celebrate the foundation’s 100th anniversary on July 1st. Officials are going in an exorbitant direction to make sure that anniversaries go smoothly – and bring back the message that the party alone can restore China, which Beijing considers the country’s rightful place as a world power.
Although much of the focus will fall on the past, the party’s centenary will have important consequences for China’s future. The celebrations will provide China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, with a forum to present himself as a transformative figure on an equal footing with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Mr. Xi, 67, is staying in power indefinitely, an effort that has apparently taken on greater urgency as a new US president builds alliances to curb Beijing’s influence.
“We need to educate and guide the whole party to carry on the red tradition vigorously,” he said. Xi said according to an official People’s Daily newspaper during a recent conference call with political leaders about the centenary.
Chinese officials use the slogan “Follow the party forever” and want to destroy China’s strength in a pandemic world and justify the party’s growing grip on daily life in China.
The news media devotes special coverage to China’s fight against extreme poverty and corruption. Universities hold plays about young lovers killed in the 1920s for their communist activism, and state-run theaters revive Mao-era opera.
Officials in the southern city of Nanjing offer a benefit to residents eager to show their love for the party before the big birthday: a free wedding ceremony in June for 100 couples (hotel, makeup and dresses included). The party’s more than 91 million members are given preference. Newlyweds can apply.
Yan Dianjian, an official in Nanjing, said in a telephone interview that the ceremony was meant to send a tribute to the party during his birthday. He said party slogans inspired several themes for the event, including a play about one of Mr. Xi: ‘Always remember your original mission. Love follows. ”
As the government pumps out propaganda and propaganda before the commemoration, the authorities are simultaneously stepping up efforts to curb differences of opinion. The Ministry of Civil Affairs is leading a nationwide fight against ‘illegal’ non-profit organizations, including religious and social groups, as part of efforts to ensure a ‘good environment’ for the centenary.
Officials also warned of consequences for those who “distort” party history or “slander” communist heroes before the centenary. China’s cybercrime administration, which regulates the Internet, recently unveiled a website and hotline for citizens to report ‘historical nihilists’ and encourage the public to eradicate those who ‘deny the excellence of advanced socialist culture’. ‘.
Officials in eastern Jiangsu province arrested a 19-year-old man this month, accusing him of making remarks against China over Japan’s occupation of Nanjing before World War II.
The campaign against such differences reflects the concern among China’s top leaders that the party should do more to strengthen public loyalty and strengthen its control over society.
Mr. Xi has long warned that communist rule could crumble if the party does not exercise control over society as a whole, including the private sector, schools and the news media. Party bodies at national and local level host study sessions on party history cadres. Chinese military officials say they are using the centenary to convey “absolute loyalty” to the party and Mr. Xi.
“They are worried at any time about a collapse, that a small protest could cause an avalanche of a revolution,” said Wu Qiang, a political analyst in Beijing. “They tried their best to eliminate all noise, disagreement and objections.”
Mr. Xi’s government looks nervous about even votes within the party institution before the centenary. Authorities recently removed an article from Wen Jiabao, a former Chinese prime minister, from several websites without explaining it. Mr. Wen, in a tribute to his mother, published in a Macau newspaper, wrote about the need for justice, fairness and equality in China.
The event offers Mr. Xi also the opportunity to project strength on the world stage. China’s party has now surpassed its Soviet counterpart to become the longest ruling Communist Party in history. Party officials are keen to promote China’s top-down system as a model for other countries and an opponent of Western democracy.
China’s rivalry with the United States will be a powerful undercurrent during the party’s grand celebration. President Biden, describing the need for ‘proof of works of democracy’, sought to bring together an alliance of countries to counter China’s stubborn authoritarianism. Many Chinese officials and scholars believe that the United States is trying to stop the rise of China.
“No person and no power can stop the march of the Chinese people to better lives,” says an official slogan for the centenary.
The party intends to seize on the anniversary the case for the party’s continued leadership in the 21st century, says David Bandurski, co-director of the China Media Project, a research program affiliated with the University of Hong Kong.
“There is clearly an attempt to make a strong emotional call for unity around the party to promote the development of China and its rise as a world power,” he said. Bandurski said.
The centenary will also be critical to the political fortunes of Mr. Xi, one of China’s most influential leaders in recent history. Mr. Xi is approaching a third term of five years at a party congress next year. In 2018, the party paved the way for Mr. Xi to remain in power indefinitely and abolish the limits that the leaders served after Mao and Deng.
“Neither party politicians nor the urban public are enthusiastic about him abandoning the two-term limit, so Xi must win their support and eradicate potential opposition,” said Susan Shirk, chair of the China Centur of the 21st Century at the university. of California, said San Diego. She calls the centenary an “important part” of Mr. Xi’s campaign for a further term.
Mr. Xi is already threatening big discussions about the milestone. Government officials spoke about the importance of promoting Xi Jinping Thought, his political doctrine, before the centenary. Mr. Xi will lead the festivals, hand out medals to exemplary party members and deliver a speech.
As it tries to win more followers, the party introduces popular culture with talks about the centenary.
Television networks publish commemorative films and dramas related to the commemoration, such as ‘Minning Town’, a popular series depicting the party’s poverty alleviation work in Ningxia, a region in northwest China.
The government has commissioned thousands of movie theaters across the country to screen propaganda films at least twice a week. Local officials are expected to mobilize party members and others to attend the screenings to enhance their social impact, according to a notice issued by China’s National Film Administration.
Local governments, which are under pressure from Beijing, are working feverishly to add party-themed activities to the calendar. Businesses sign up employees for extracurricular lessons on party history and visits to famous revolutionary websites.
“I’m dead tired,” wrote a commentator on Weibo, a popular social media site. ‘I have no time left at the end of April. This centenary of the founding of the party is so troublesome. ”
Albee Zhang contributed research.