National Day calls for public participation

• Source: Global Times
• [12:56 September 07 2009]
• Comments

By  Tian Wei

Some say a country's image of itself can often be refl ected by the way it celebrates its national day. That might be going too far, but it might also provide some food for thought as the People's Republic of China (PRC) gears up to celebrate its 60th birthday.

At the moment, weekends in Beijing are marked by grand rehearsals for the National Day Parade. Traffic is controlled, and certain sections of Changan Avenue are off-limits, but all this is justifi ed when you realize the scale of the event and the number of people involved.

Official plans show that on October 1, following the PLA troops and advanced Chinese armor in the National Day Parade from Tiananmen Square through Changan Avenue, there will be a massive pageant involving 200,000 Chinese citizens. In addition, a million volunteers in Beijing have been mobilized, with 800,000 of them taking to the streets to safeguard security, while another 30,000 patrol and provide guidance and translation services in public places.

It is not only on the streets, but also at movie theaters, where you can expect huge crowds. The epic movie, The Founding of a Republic, which shows how the PRC was founded and how the Chinese Communist Party took power, will be released. It was produced by China's State movie company, and features more than 170 of China's top stars, including Jet Li and Jackie Chan. They are being told it is a unique time to show their support.

All evidence is pointing in the direction of another celebration with distinctive Chinese characteristics, as many of us brought up in China remember from our childhood: lots of State spending, the mobilization of a huge number of ordinary citizens, large scale campaigns, and eventually the showcasing of China in a well-rehearsed event to her own people and the outside world. It is destined to be a grand and magnifi cent event.

Having said this, this year's National Day Parade is also showing traces of the State in every aspect, even in some minor details.

Just by reading local newspapers one can find that it is the government that is going to organize the best fl ower bed display at Tiananmen Square so that tourists from all over the country can come to appreciate it and take photos to remember the wonderful time they spent there during China's 60th birthday party.

It is the authorities from the city of Beijing that are going to set up about 2,500 sets of mobile toilets in downtown Beijing for the parade participants.

 To ensure that dignitaries and other participants in the 60th National Day celebrations are "free from diseases and bites," once again it is the Beijing municipal officials who have launched a series of nighttime "extermination sweeps" at the square and the adjacent buildings to get rid of bugs and rats.

There is nothing wrong with the State's involvement in a grand celebration such as that of National Day. Every country has its own tradition and most familiar way of doing things. After all, having the State take care of everything can also be a good way to streamline resources and operate in an efficient manner when it comes to making decisions or taking actions. But at the same time, one would also hope there will be more and more voluntary celebrations throughout the country, inside communities and families, by individual citizens, as is done in some other countries.

When the US celebrates its Independence Day, for example, though there are also parades throughout the country and fi reworks displays, the ways they are organized can be very different: it's less about the state, and more based on individuals.

The final production, of course, usually matches that of the loose organizational method: Among the parade crowds, there might be some really professional tap dancing followed by a dull mini Latino carnival, or vice versa. Lion dancing can also be frequent as the Chinese community does not like to be left behind by anyone when it comes to festivities. But its quality can vary hugely depending on which lion dancing troupe registers for the parade fi rst. But strangely this spontaneous and volunteering method also creates a sense of unity, and an air of relaxation and fun both among participants and onlookers. Well, one might argue that maybe the Americans are used to celebrating in their individual ways during their national days. After all, they have already got more than 200 years of experience doing that.

But one would also hope that in China, it is both the State and the public that are making a great National Day possible.

Tian Wei is the host of “Dialogue” on CCTV's English Channel, and the main anchor of CCTV's special coverage of important domestic and international events. Previously, Tian worked in Washington D.C. as a correspondent, and covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her blog is http://blog.cctv.com/html/09/960109.html. Reach her at tianwei.gt@gmail.com