The Party is increasingly out of step with the dynamic people it governs.
GORDON G. CHANG
There are, it is sometimes said, "a million truths in China." As the Communist Party celebrates the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic today, there are only three worth keeping in mind.
First, the Chinese state will try to project strength. There will be fearsome weapons and 200,000 soldiers and performers in a grand procession in the center of Beijing, meant to convince onlookers of the power of the communist superstate. Do not be impressed. If communists do one thing well, it is staging spectacles. Destitute North Korea, for instance, is even better than China in putting on perfectly synchronized parades and mass gatherings. The National Day march says little about the effectiveness, resilience or vigor of China's one-party political system.
Second, the Chinese state, for all its apparent might, is deeply insecure. The theme of the celebration is "The Motherland and I, Marching Together." But so great is the regime's worry about possible unrest or disruption in protest of its rule that the laobaixing—ordinary Chinese—will not be walking in Beijing's parade. There will be no cheering crowds lining the route along Chang'an Avenue. Citizens will be kept away by a six-province security perimeter and more than a million police and "volunteers" enforcing the tightest security in the country's history. The government has booked all the hotel rooms overlooking the route to prevent anyone from seeing the parade up close. Nearby residents have been ordered not to look out their windows or invite guests.
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