Audience of more than 70,000 fills Tiananmen Square for carefully choreographed celebration and while Xi Jinping gets much of the attention, younger faces also take centre stage.<\/b>
\nIt was a celebration on a grand scale as the Security was tight as an audience of more than 70,000 filled Tiananmen Square \u2013 chosen from party organs, government bodies and research and scientific institutes, as well as dozens of people representing ethnic minorities who were flown in from across the country. Carefully choreographed and of a similar scale to past National Day celebrations in the capital, the two-hour event started with a flyover of Much attention was focused on party secretary general 04:14 Xi Jinping leads celebrations marking centenary of China\u2019s ruling Communist Party For China watchers it was a rare opportunity for clues about the leadership and party elders \u2013 Xi\u2019s predecessor Hu Jintao, now white-haired, was there on the rostrum, as was former Politburo Standing Committee member Song Ping, who at 104 is older than the party itself. But former leader Jiang Zemin,94, and past premier Zhu Rongji,92, were absent, prompting speculation about their health. Almost no one was seen wearing masks during the event, but that did not mean the party was taking a casual approach to For the media who attended it was a long and strict process to meet requirements \u2013 and a very early start. All journalists had to be fully vaccinated and take at least two nasal swab tests beforehand. After spending a day at a designated quarantine hotel, they were bused to Tiananmen Square before daybreak on Thursday. Then, half an hour before the celebration \u2013 and live broadcast on state television \u2013 was due to begin, they were instructed to remove their masks, as others in the square had already done. The event itself was meticulously planned for the television cameras, but there were moments of spontaneity from the audience, particularly as they reacted to Xi\u2019s speech. Read more Xi warns foreign powers will \u2018have their heads cracked and bleeding\u2019 Read more Xi vows to crush attempts to thwart \u2018complete reunification\u2019 with Taiwan Read more Key points from Xi\u2019s Tiananmen address on Communist Party centenary Applause and loud cheers broke out and even interrupted the Chinese leader as he vowed to fight against foreign aggression and Xi closed his speech with his fist in the air, rousing the crowd with: \u201cLong live the great, glorious and correct Communist Party of China. Long live the great, glorious and heroic Chinese people.\u201d The event was as much about looking back as it was about looking forward, with thousands of students from universities in Beijing part of the carefully assembled audience. Younger faces also took centre stage in the square as they performed in a choir ahead of Xi\u2019s speech. A group of primary, high school and college students \u2013 chosen from the Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers, both run by the party to recruit followers aged under 28 \u2013 recited a poem praising the party\u2019s achievements. The poem mentioned many of Xi\u2019s signature policies and well-known remarks, ending with the message that these youthful voices were ready to walk down the path set out by the party as they repeated four times: \u201cMay the party be rest assured, I stand with [our] strong country!\u201d Recommended Video<\/p>\n