China wants to show the world how it has changed, said Peter Ford in The Christian Science Monitor, by parading modern weaponry and "floats celebrating China’s achievements" through the streets to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic. But the tanks, missiles, and "phalanxes of goose-stepping soldiers" made it a "thoroughly traditional affair," complete with "tired old slogans" —"Listen to the Party's Orders," "Socialism Is Good," "Love the People"—that "would have been familiar to audiences 50 years ago."
"There are a thousand reasons for the Chinese to be proud, and to celebrate," how much the People's Republic has changed, said China Daily in an editorial. Our "once semi-feudal, semi-colonial" country was "on the brink of bankruptcy 60 years ago," but, with a booming economy, "the 'Sick Man of Asia' is now the envy of the world." And outsiders should be happy, too—"with China getting prosperous, stable, and keen on befriending the world, everybody will ultimately benefit."
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