A visitor takes a photo of a floral decoration that has been put up along the Chang'an Avenue in Beijing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday. Under the theme of "Remain true to its original aspiration, keep its mission firmly in mind,"such decorations vividly illustrate CPC's development over the past century. Li Hao/GT

With the upcoming centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaching on July 1, spectacular light shows, a variety of performances and booming red tourism have helped foster a celebratory atmosphere around China. Amid the celebrative atmosphere, China's State Council Information Office on Friday issued a white paper titled "China's Political Party System: Cooperation and Consultation," elaborating on the distinctive characteristics and strengths of the country's political party system. 

Experts said the enthusiasm of the public for the birthday of the CPC and the release of the white paper highlights the advantages of the CPC's path in terms of confidence and governance ability.  

The white paper reads that the system is the product of a combination of Marxist political party theory and China's reality, which is able to realize the universality of interest representation and guarantee the effectiveness of national governance.  

Also on Friday, the Beijing municipality government announced it would take traffic control measures by time and segments for the grand variety performance at the Beijing National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, on June 29.

As a rehearsal and warm-up for the "Great Journey" performance will be done ahead of July 1, two events were held in Beijing on Tuesday and Friday. From 8 pm to 10 pm on Tuesday, the Bird's Nest held four fireworks displays, the first of which showed the character "100" to signify the centenary of the founding of the CPC. Fireworks lit up the night sky and drew cheers from tens of thousands of onlookers.

Tiananmen Square in China's capital will also see a second rehearsal of the major celebration event on Saturday, after the first, with over 14,000 participants, was held on June 12. The first comprehensive rehearsal includes four parts: warm-up, celebration event, entry and exit, and emergency response, media reported.

On Chang'an Avenue, just north of Tiananmen Square, 10 groups of flowerbeds have been unveiled, telling the story of the CPC's 100-year development.  

As July 1 approaches, other major Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan and Chongqing, also lit up the sky with light shows to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of CPC, as per images circulating on social media.

A night view of Shanghai near the Bund celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the CPC Photo: VCG

The date also marks the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to its motherland. In Hong Kong, buses and trams with CPC-themed paintings are seen on the streets. Hong Kong media recently reported that a large dance performance will be staged on June 29 and a set of commemorative stamps will be issued on July 1.

Statistics from major tourism platforms show that in the first half of 2021, the number of visitors to "red scenic spots" increased 208 percent year-on-year. In 2020, the number of red tourism trips in China exceeded 100 million. 

A Beijing-based resident surnamed Yin who has taken photos and shared videos of the fireworks show, told the Global Times on Friday that this year's celebration was the biggest he had ever seen, which "would have been unimaginable for people living a century ago."   

Due to the drastic change and progress, 100-year ago seems so strange and far away for a nation with 5,000 years of history, Yin sighed. 

The CPC, founded within a poor and weak semi-colonial period in China, has created a unique path of development through the past 100 years. Under the leadership of the Party, China erased destitution by the end of 2020, and also achieved its space dreams step by step. 

At Friday's press briefing on the white paper, vice minister of the United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee Xu Yousheng said that China's achievements prove that China's political party system is the "best cat to catch mice," echoing a quote from late leader Deng Xiaoping. "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice."

While mentioning China's party system as a "great contribution of political civilization of mankind," Xu also stressed that the world's political party system is diverse, and there is not and cannot be a universal model.  

Song Luzheng, a research fellow at the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Friday that the success of the CPC is rooted in the thousands of years of Chinese history and culture.  

"A large, populous country needs a strong central government... Civilian doctrine, practical reason and secular society in the land are all perfectly combined with modern ideology - Marxism," Song said. 

Analysts said that if Chinese people born around 1949 had a natural affinity for the CPC, today's younger generation with an international perspective recognize the Party through its ability to govern and the original intention of "ruling for the people."

Different from some Western countries with a tradition of missionaries peddling their "democratic system," China firmly follows a path that suits its national conditions while absorbing the essence of different cultures, Song said, noting that China also respects and supports other countries in choosing the path that suits their national conditions, rather than blindly supporting and copying.

China will not engage in so-called political system exporting like the West, said Song, noting that slanders targeting the CPC from the West are basically caused by geopolitical factors. 

"I think the lesson of the CPC's success for other countries is to choose the path of their own national conditions. This is not empty diplomatic rhetoric," said the expert.