China's sixty years of living dangerously / China celebrates 60th anniversary

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Again and again, by dint of his persistence and ideological self-confidence, Mao was able to impel his political allies and subjects to follow him into utterly unknowable terrain, writes Jonathan Spence

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By Jonathan Spence

Sixty years ago, China was in a chaotic condition. Few people inside or outside the battered country would have bet much on its chances of survival over the long term. The devastating effects of Japan’s invasion and occupation were visible from northern Manchuria to the southern border; the Soviet Union had shown no great faith in China’s future as a viable state and was unimpressed by Mao Zedong’s eccentric and personalised leadership style; Great Britain and France seemed still intent on shoring up their economic presence in Hong Kong and south-east Asia; Korea was divided and unstable; Tibetan policy was uncertain; the Chinese Nationalist forces were consolidating their anti-Communist bastion on Taiwan; and the US, though nominally neutral in China’s protracted civil war, had clearly been disillusioned about the chances of China establishing any kind of viable democratic structure as the Communists tightened their hold over a population of close to 600m.

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FT.com / China - China’s sixty years of living dangerously

The writer is Sterling professor emeritus of history at Yale. His latest book is Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man

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Communist Party 60 years in power

It has been billed as a "national celebration" of China's rising power on the world stage as the Communist Party celebrates 60 years in power.



Armed police patrol near Beijing's Tiananmen Square Photo: Reuters

But ordinary Chinese people have been warned to stay away from the massive military parade on Thursday over fears of public disorder.

Any thoughts that a spontaneous, flag-waving crowd might be allowed to cheer on the 180,000 marchers as they processed through Beijing's Tiananmen Square were scotched by security restricting the 'crowd' to carefully vetted VIPs.

Most Chinese seemed resigned to the decision not to invite the public to participate in the parade, apparently accepting that security concerns were paramount, particularly following the outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang and Tibet in the last two years.