At the annual 9th Martyrs’ Day remembrance event held at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Friday, President Xi Jinping accompanied the senior leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in laying floral tributes to the Chinese national heroes who have passed away.
On Friday morning, a big number of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) members attended the event together with leaders from all senior CPC echelons and government agencies. Following internet rumors of political instability in Beijing’s power corridors that circulated earlier this week, it was the first event—attended by the Chinese leadership—to which the international media was invited to provide coverage.
The relatively recent commemoration event was started by Xi in 2014 to boost CPC allegiance and patriotism. It takes place two weeks before the crucial CPC national congress, which starts on October 16 and where Xi is predicted to easily win a third term, breaking the historical two-tenure rule.
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Although Xi did not speak at the ceremony and spent only around 20 minutes at the venue, it was another chance for him to use the official media and its propaganda apparatus to remind the Chinese people of what the CPC has accomplished for them by fostering nationalism and historical memory.
The memorial day was approved by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress (NPC), in 2014. The NPC stated that it should be “marked with events across the country on September 30 every year to publicize martyrs’ achievements and spirits, and cultivate patriotism, collectivism, and socialist moralities in order to consolidate the Chinese nation’s cohesiveness.”
Eight years later, it still makes sense under Xi’s narrative, which is based on highlighting the Chinese people’s unwavering commitment to the Party; undermining the CPC is equivalent to undermining the entire nation.
On September 30, the Martyrs’ Day is observed, one day before China’s National Day on October 1. It’s most likely Xi’s last significant public appearance before the CPC conference and other party meetings begin in October, except from the reception celebrating National Day on October 1.
Premier Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, and Han Zheng — the seven members of the CPC’s politburo’s standing committee — as well as Vice President Wang Qishan were among the other prominent figures who paid floral tributes in addition to Xi.
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“The Monument to the People’s Heroes was surrounded by nine enormous flower baskets. After arriving at the monument’s base with other leaders, Xi “straightened the red ribbons on the baskets and led other senior officials in a tour around the monument to pay their respects,” according to state news agency Xinhua.
According to estimates, China has 20 million martyrs. However, only 1.93 million martyrs have been documented in the government’s directory because many of them did not leave their names during the time of battle. In recent years, over 300 more persons have been recognized as martyrs yearly, according to a previous report from the government-run China Daily.
