Grand celebrations have been held all over China to mark the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, which falls on July 1.

A total of 600 people - including veterans, descendants of wartime heroes and former leader Mao Zedong's daughter Li Na - gathered in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province on Saturday to participate in a celebration jointly held by the China Mao Zedong Thoughts Association, a Hong Kong-registered NGO focusing on the study of Mao's philosophy, and the Guangdong Provincial Committee for the Well-being of the Youth, news portal people.cn reported Sunday. 

The State-run Xinhua News Agency also presented a 9-minute video on the history of the Party's fight for the independence of the nation, the liberation of the people and the prosperity of the country over the past 95 years, showing the courage and faith of generations of Party members. The Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and China's media watchdog selected 45 kinds of publications as a birthday gift for the Party, according to Xinhua.

Local officials from Zhai Lang village, Zhejiang Province also invited visitors to relive the Red Army's journey during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

"This year's celebration started on June 23 and lasted for two days," Ye Longfeng, head of the village committee, told the Global Times.

Over 20 sites and museums nationwide have opened to the public for free as part of the celebration, people.cn reported.

"These kinds of celebrations are necessary, as they can help us draw some experience from the Party's 95 years of history and help us plan for the future," Zhi Zhenfeng, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"As there are some debates over ideology in our society, the celebrations can also deliver a message that socialism still serves as the backbone," Zhi added.