At 70, People's Republic Of China Faces Economic, Political Headwinds
Major streets have been cordoned off for hours at a time, leaving restaurant and bar-goers stranded overnight. Bomb-sniffing dogs stand guard on busy corners. Teams of hawk-eyed retirees sporting red arm bands patrol the sidewalks as part of volunteer neighborhood watch committees, ready to report the smallest sign of a challenge to public security.
Normally, Beijing is an oasis of calm during the annual Golden Week holiday that begins on Oct. 1. But this year is different: not only is China preparing to celebrate an important milestone — the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's rule, but it is doing so at a particularly turbulent time of economic uncertainty and testing of its authority.
With this year's celebrations, China officially surpasses the longevity of that other great communist power, the Soviet
