The 60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China

Robert Hsu, October 02, 2009

Clear skies welcomed the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China that began on October 1.

Chinese government officials truly went all out to host the grandest National Day parade and celebration ever, giving the entire country of 1.3 billion a weeklong holiday to celebrate. And they do have quite a lot to celebrate -- China has come a long way in the past 10 years since the last National Day.

The festivities were kicked off with a massive military parade and pageant. The parade, the largest in China for the past decade, showcased how modernized China has become and emphasized the different paths it has taken on its route to success. For example, there were floats symbolizing wind energy, solar power, food security and global trade.

And the government has received overwhelming support for this celebration, as nearly one million volunteers are maintaining security and helping out with the parade. While I was in Beijing last week, I saw a thousands of soldiers bussed in for a parade rehearsal from my hotel room overlooking Chang An Road, Beijing's main east-west boulevard. And after the parade, a huge pageant took place -- involving some 100,000 Chinese citizens performing synchronized dance and banner-waving students.

But what exactly are the Chinese celebrating?

In 1949, after a brutal four-year civil war, the Communists under Mao Ze-dong defeated the Nationalists who were led by Chiang Kai-shek. After declaring victory, Mao and his force settled in Beijing and started the Communist government there. On the other hand, Chiang Kai-shek led what remained of his battered forces to Taiwan, where he dreamed of retaking Mainland China until his death in 1974.

Now, although Mao won the war, his extremist policies led to economic disaster in China for the next 30 years. But recently, as we've seen and taken advantage of at China Strategy, the government in China has figured out how to correct many of the early mistakes.

So over the next week, the Chinese will celebrate the victory of the Communists and the end of the country's civil war. And at the end of yesterday's parade, tens of thousands of doves were released up into the air -- symbolizing that hard-won peace.

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