Firework at the Bird's Nest in Beijing on Monday Photo: Cui Meng/GT

With a dazzling light show illuminating the night sky of the Chinese capital Beijing, thousands of drones soaring simultaneously into the sky in the southern city of Shenzhen to form scenes of momentous events in the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and red Chinese national flags fluttering on the streets of Hong Kong, the world's largest ruling party is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary on Thursday, a thrilling event ahead of which the festival atmosphere has become omnipresent. The whole world is watching how the biggest ruling party parties. 

Instead of delving into the true reason why Chinese people are eager to celebrate the CPC centenary on such a large scale and in so many ways, some Western media outlets and observers focused on the roadblocks and enhanced security in cities like Beijing, hyping it is to maintain absolute stability for the so-called propaganda blitz for the Party's achievements. Some reports exaggerated the so-called sacrifice of the country's ordinary people for the event. 

However, the majority of the Chinese people know why the CPC centenary and the celebrations are important to them, given the Party's century-long efforts to rejuvenate China, its leading role in making the country the second-largest global economy with a strong entrepreneurial middle class and world-beating high-technology as well as its strong military. The celebratory activities are reminding Chinese people of the grand journey the CPC has experienced, which transformed a weak and war-torn nation into a global power. 

An art performance titled "The Great Journey" is held in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, on the evening of June 28, 2021. (Xinhua)

The grand journey 

An art performance titled "The Great Journey" was held in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC at the National Stadium in Beijing on Monday evening with around 20,000 spectators. Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders watched the performance.

With fireworks rocketing into the sky, displaying the number 100 over the stadium, the curtain was lifted on the performance. On a giant screen at the center of the stage, the golden Party emblem shone against the red curtain in gilded fonts with "1921" and "2021" written on both sides.

The epic show, divided into four parts, revealed how the Chinese people, under the leadership of the CPC, have carried out revolution, construction and reform over the past 100 years.

A man, who preferred to be called Li Hai and attended the show, said it highlighted significant events of the Party, ranging from the May Fourth Movement to the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, from the Wenchuan earthquake to Wuhan's battle against COVID-19, and from high-speed railway to 5G. The show's grand staging and spectacular light effects combined to depict all the significant events, Li told the Global Times on Tuesday. "The audience was all singing along. It felt really stirring and emotional," he said. 

"I was amazed by the stage full of modern technologies and the fantastic fireworks show that lasted for such a long time," Nixie Lam, board member of the United Nations Association of China and a former Hong Kong district councilor, told the Global Times after attending the glorious performance on Monday. "After all we can only appreciate such fireworks show for a very short time in Hong Kong as it is quite expensive."

Nixie Lam is a member of the 60-strong delegation of public figures led by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to Beijing to participate in the CPC centenary celebration. Nixie Lam said she was most impressed by the performance by medical workers who fought on the anti-epidemic frontlines. 

"Their stories show that the Chinese people deeply trust the CPC and the government led by the Party. It fully demonstrates that the Party's principle is to serve the people," Nixie Lam said.

At the end of the performance, the audience stood up and sang the song " Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China" in a long ovation.

Outside the stadium, when he saw the culmination of the display, a recreation in fireworks of five golden stars that hung in the sky above the National Stadium, and lit up the dark sky, Wang Han was moved to tears.  

Standing among a passionate crowd who were taking photos to capture the unforgettable moment, Wang said the splendid fireworks made him feel an unprecedented sense of pride about being Chinese. 

He said the memories took him back to 2008 when he decided to pursue his college studies in Beijing as the capital city finally had the chance to host the Olympic Games. 

"After all these years, I could finally see fireworks at the Bird's Nest to witness how great the country is," Wang said.   

The foreign media's pillories of security measures are "lame," Peking University professor Zhang Yiwu told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"Of course we have to tighten security checks and impose other measures to ensure those activities go smoothly. Doesn't the US adopt any safety checks ahead of big events, like the presidential inauguration?" Zhang asked.

The Party's centennial is a grand day for all Chinese, the professor said. "The public is so eager to participate in this celebration themselves, as they firmly believe that the country's destiny is closely linked with the Party… and that the Party has fought hard for their current happy lives," he noted. 

Photo taken on Monday shows vessels displaying China's national flag and the Hong Kong regional flag at the Castle Peak Bay Waterfront Promenade, Tuen Mun to welcome the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC and the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Photo: Courtesy of Jane Cheung

Big day for all  

Cities across the nation have been staging light shows at city landmarks. In a more time-consuming and creative way, some villages planted crops like rice in anniversary-themed patterns. To enable people to get involved with the anniversary, there were special tours at memorial sites connected with the CPC like the former revolutionary base Yan'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.  

In Hong Kong, buses and trams are getting in on the festivities, with many decorated with red designs featuring elements related to the CPC. The harborside district of Tsim Sha Tsui is festooned with red Chinese national flags and the flags of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with residents describing it as an "unprecedented scene."

Local residents take photos of more than 200 Chinese national flags and flags of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region along Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong on Tuesday, ahead of July 1 which marks the Communist Party of China's centenary and the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Photo: cnsphoto

Compared with last year's celebration of National Day in October, Nixie Lam felt evident changes in Hong Kong's political atmosphere after the implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong and the electoral system reform. 

As the celebration date comes close, exhibitions themed around the founding of the Party are gradually opening to the public. Tiananmen Square, where the celebrations are expected to be held, was closed to the public from June 23 and will reopen on the morning of July 2. 

Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, will address at a grand gathering celebrating the CPC centenary at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Thursday starting from 8 am.

When Global Times reporters visited the Tiananmen Square on Sunday night, some roads were shut down, but people showed palpable joy when they saw the place is fully decorated with flowers and lights, signaling hope and best wishes for the future. 

Besides the government-organized big celebrations and galas, some residential communities are staging their own performances to celebrate this significant date, Zhang noted. 

"So yes, some people have encountered minor inconveniences due to those security measures. But it doesn't mean that they are not happy about the Party's centennial," he said.