October 1: China celebrated its 71st birthday

The National Day
Chinese National Day falls on October 1. It commemorates the birth of the People’s Republic of China. This holiday marks the start of a week-long vacation across the country. This is an opportunity to do some “red” tourism or to visit family.

The golden weeks
In China, the government has granted 2 weeks annual leave since 2000. These are the « golden weeks » (黄金 周). They are taken for the Spring Festival in the new year, May 1 or for the national holiday.

During these weeks, employees benefit from 7 continuous days of vacation (3 days of paid vacation and weekends). The first “golden weeks” took place during the national holiday in 1999. They were intended to promote tourism in China, raise living standards and allow workers to visit families who live far away. Indeed, many workers migrate from within China to the more prosperous Maritime provinces.

The festivities
Every year, festivities take place to commemorate the national holiday. Concerts are organized and fireworks are set off. Monuments, bridges and roads display the national flag in all cities across the country. In the capital, people come from all over to watch the military parade after President Xi Jinping’s speech.

2020, the year of the « double 20 » as it is called in China, has been very difficult because of the Covid-19. Despite the economic crisis, life has resumed and confidence has returned thanks to the strict sanitary measures imposed.

The victory against Covid-19 and the importance of international aid with the allocation of $ 50 million in aid to WHO marked this year. The country is the basis for sending 34 teams of medical experts to 32 countries and providing 283 sets of anti-epidemic supplies to 150 countries and 4 international organizations.

Despite internal difficulties, China was able to export 151.5 billion masks, 1.4 billion protective suits, 230 million protective glasses and 470 million test kits to other countries. Overseas, 4 vaccines have entered phase III, while in China 9 are in technical testing phase.

HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
The history of 20th century China begins after the abdication of Emperor Puyi. Here are the main dates:

• 1912: Proclamation of the Chinese Republic by Sun Yat-sen. Creation of Guomindang (August) which takes over from Sun Yat-sen’s Sworn League.
• May 1919: Student demonstration in Beijing against the Treaty of Versailles and Japanese influence in China.
• July 1921: Foundation in Shanghai of the Chinese Communist Party (P.C.C.), led by Chen Duxiu.
• 1927: Repression by Tchiang Kai-chek (Jiang Jieshi) of revolutionary communists and trade unionists in Shanghai. Breaking of the United Front between the P.C.C. and the Guomindang.
• 1931: Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Mao Zedong, President of the First Chinese Soviet Republic in Jiangxi
• 1934-1935: The Long March: the Communists of Jiangxi take refuge in the north of Shaanxi, in Yanan. Mao Zedong becomes the undisputed leader of the P.C.C.
• 1937: Second United Front between the P.C.C. and the Guomindang (February 10). Beginning of the Sino-Japanese conflict (July 7).
• 1945: Japanese surrender on August 15. Failure of negotiations between Mao Zedong and Tchiang Kai-chek to form a coalition government.
• September 21, 1949: The one who will be called the “Grand Helmsman” founded the People’s Republic of China. Shortly after, the first Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) decided to set the date of the national holiday on the first day of month of October. Installation of nationalist forces on the Island of Taiwan.

The flag
The red flag with 5 stars was born on the day of the proclamation of the People’s Republic in 1949. It is chosen from 4912 proposals, it is that of Weng Liansong that was retained. What does he represent?

The red color corresponds to the communist revolution. She is the symbol of positivity, prosperity and luck. It is that of wedding dresses and decoration.

The yellow color is that of the light that illuminates the country. Formerly, it represented the emperor, the only person who could wear it.

The 5 stars also have a meaning. The larger one represents the Chinese Communist Party. The 4 smaller ones around it represent the Chinese people united around the One Party.

Economic development
The civil war against the Guomindang (1927-1949) impoverished the country. In the 1950s, the new regime rebuilt the country by abolishing feudal laws (rupture of the patriarchy, gender equality, etc.). Agrarian reform creates 300 million new owners. The first five-year plan (1953-1957) based on the Soviet model of development, imposed the collectivization of land and favored the rise of heavy industry.

From 1954, the population reached more than 600 million inhabitants, the country imposed a policy of birth control. At the same time, Liu Shaoqi launched the “Great Leap Forward”. The goal is to significantly increase the productivity of industry and agriculture in China. Unfortunately, after a promising start, the experiment turned out to be a disaster due to flooding and famine. This failure will interfere with political life and weaken Mao Zedong. The latter recognized his responsibility in 1962. In fact, he launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966, dismissing Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping were dismissed.

The years after Mao
In 1976, the disappearance of Zhou Enlai (January 8) and Mao Zedong (September 9) will mark the year. Fall of the “Gang of Four” (Jiang Qing widow of Mao Zedong, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan and Zhang Chunqiao). They were accused of being the instigators of the Cultural Revolution, which claimed many lives and plunged China into chaos from 1966 to 1976. Hua Guofeng was elected chairman of the central committee of the P.C.C ..

In 1978, Deng Xiaoping replaced Hua Guofeng. He initiated a policy of economic reforms (end of rural collectivism). He died in 1997, the year of the handover by the United Kingdom of Hong Kong to China.

In 1989, the Riots in Lhasa, 30 years after the 1959 uprising and the crackdown on the student reform movement in Tiananmen Square (June 4). will mark the year.

The last 20 years
During the past 20 years, China has become the factory of the world; it opened up to the market economy. Officially the second largest economic and military nation in the world, it aims to rise to number one in 10 years. To this day, it remains the leading exporter of manufactured products.

Moreover, Xi Jinping has been the head of the most populous country on the planet, 1.4 billion inhabitants (one in five human beings), since 2013. Projects and investments are therefore on the agenda.

Investments and the economy
Since taking office, the number of investments has increased from less than $ 3 billion in 2001 to more than 280 in 2016, a record year. However, there has been a decline for 3 years, particularly this year because of the coronavirus.

Thanks to the major “New Silk Roads” project, this number is expected to triple within 10 years. Africa has 2,500 development, public works and construction projects worth $ 94 billion in 51 states.

The 14 commercial ports ranked in the top 20 that China owns (67% of Piraeus (Greece), 80% of Karachi in Pakistan)

China has returned to growth since the end of containment. The economy grew by 3.2%, while the French economy shrank by 13.8%, and the US by 31.4%. Chinese exports increased by 11.6%. It attracts the majority of foreign investors. 27,000 enterprises with foreign capital were created and foreign capital increased by 6.9%.

The instruction
There were only 1% of people illiterate in 2018. At the university level, China is ranked 38th to first in 3 disciplines: mathematics, science and reading. It is also the country that has trained the most researchers in 20 years, allowing the filing of more than 130 patents. China leads the way in patent filings and the number of researchers assigned to research.

New technologies.
-By the end of 2020, artificial intelligence will be on the streets with 650 million cameras installed across the country.

-The country has many skyscrapers. The city of Shanghai is the first to cross the 1000 milestone, including the Shanghai Tower (3rd in the world with 632 meters).

-Huawei has become the world number 2 in smartphone sales ahead of Apple and dominates the future 5G equipment market. With 46,000 stations, Shenzhen is the world’s leading 5G city. By the end of the year, 500,000 stations will be deployed. Following the increase in the number of subscriptions over the past decade, there are now 104 telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. The largest broadband network is in China.

In space, the country has carried out the highest number of space launches in the world for two years in a row. The first Mars exploration mission, the Tianwen-1 probe, is a success. The latest satellite of the Beidou navigation system has been successfully launched. China is now one of the top four suppliers of the global navigation satellite system.

-The military is one of the most important posts for China. The country has drones, hypersonic missiles, bombers and will have 2 aircraft carriers in 2021. A nuclear power, China has more than 2 million soldiers.

Pollution control
In the last decade, greenhouse gas emissions have increased by more than 50%. With 10.2 billion tonnes (double the United States, second), it is ahead of the United States by emitting 28% of global emissions. This result comes from the number of vehicles multiplied by 12 in 21 years and coal provides 40% of the energy supply.

In order to be able to obtain a rapid significant reduction, the government presents a major renewable energy plan 2040. To this end, the sale of electric vehicles has jumped (12% per year) thanks to a subsidy of 8,500 euros per “loyal and responsible household”. The state has invested more than 60 billion euros in this industry over the past ten years.

Another hobbyhorse is the Chinese TGV, which represents 2/3 of the high-speed lines on the planet. The ten-year plan foresees 45,000 in 2030. By the end of the year, the length of the railways will reach 146,000 kilometers.

The fight against extreme poverty

The main objective of the country is the eradication of absolute poverty and the integral building of a middle-income society. For the most deprived, access to drinking water, The renovation of dilapidated houses of more than 7 million rural households and the rehousing of nearly 10 million inhabitants.

Human rights
The Middle Empire is often singled out for enforcing human rights. Now he is focused on making efforts to improve his image abroad.

Relations with America
For some time, incidents have broken out between the 2 countries. Unlike China, which advocates mutilateralism, the United States is increasingly turning to unilateralism by withdrawing from treaties and international organizations). Economically, we are heading towards a “cold war” with protectionist barriers such as the increase in customs duties or anything related to 5G. The economic war between the 2 giants has become a global threat.

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