Tuesday was the official beginning of National Day, a Chinese holiday marking the anniversary of Communist Party rule.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the takeover, but the celebrations seemed muted as the week-long holiday got underway, as China faces economic stumbles, security woes, supply chain disruptions, a massive demographic crisis, and a growing sense of anger and futility among its young people.
The Associated Press noted that no festivities at all were announced on Tuesday, except for a ceremonial flag-raising at Tiananmen Square, which was a symbolic center of ancient Chinese imperial power before it became infamous for a horrifying Communist massacre in 1989.
The flag-raising ceremony was a rather modest affair:
“Commemorations were also held in the former British colony of Hong Kong and Portugal’s former territory of Macao, both of which returned to Chinese sovereignty in the late 1990s in a key indication of Beijing’s determination to overcome what it has called a ‘Century of Humiliation,’” the AP added.
Although Chinese state media pumped out articles hailing the regime’s alleged progress on various economic issues, the overall mood among the Chinese people might have been a little too grim for a triumphalist celebration.
It has been less than a week since Beijing rolled out a massive, multi-faceted stimulus program to jump-start the economy and, while the Chinese stock market responded with optimism to that announcement, the dire conditions that made it necessary are nothing for the Communist Party to celebrate.
“The road ahead will not be smooth, there will definitely be difficulties and obstacles, and we may encounter major tests such as high winds and rough seas, or even stormy waves,” dictator Xi Jinping said in his less-than-ebullient address to a National Day banquet.
“The path ahead will definitely see challenges. No challenges can stop China’s progress,” he said.
Xi’s nationally televised remarks were short and uninspired, containing little but reiterations of previous talking points, such as his determination to crush “separatist” activity in Taiwan and reclaim the island someday.
Members of the Uyghur diaspora took the occasion of National Day to hold a protest march outside the Chinese consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
The protesters demanded an end to China’s oppression of the Uyghur Muslims and the shutdown of Chinese concentration camps in East Turkistan, which China refers to as Xinjiang province. Uyghur leaders said Turkey was a good venue for their demonstration because the Turkish government is trying to develop closer ties with Beijing.
Hong Kong held a large number of National Day events, including a massive fireworks display, although a much-anticipated drone show had to be canceled due to poor weather. Hong Kong officials said they hoped putting on a big show for National Day would attract tourists from the mainland.
Some Chinese youths were unhappy that the week-long National Day celebration required them to engage in a practice known as tiaoxiu or “extended rest,” which basically means putting in extra hours before and after a holiday so it can last longer. Teachers said many of their children get sick after holidays lengthened by tiaoxiu, while young workers complained they were exhausting themselves to get a phony holiday for political reasons.
Young people took to social media to declare they were “too tired” to travel or spend money, a deliberate dig at the origins of “extended rest” in the late 1990s as a tactic for making holidays longer so people would spend more money.
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