China's communist party's 90 years

Celebrations are taking place across China to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Tourists have flocked to caves in Ya'nan, in the country's north-west, where Mao Zedong and his followers started the guerrilla war which saw them later take over the country.

Performances have recreated the civil war, with tourists dressing up in revolutionary garb.

Visitors have also seen the mud cave houses where Mao Zedong and his fellow communists lived in and planned their conquest of China.

One visitor said he is using the day to reaffirm his commitment to the CCP.

"We have come with a tour organised for the communist party members of Beijing's Pinggu district," he said.

"We are here to pay our tribute to the CCP, and to mark its anniversary on July first, we have renewed our vows of faith and fidelity. We will integrate our learning here with our work and life."But Chinese president Hu Jintao used the celebrations to warn that corruption could threaten the party's legitimacy at the helm of the world's second-largest economy.

Mr Hu made the comments in a keynote address at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People to party leaders and members gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the CCP's founding in 1921.
"The whole party is confronted with growing pains," Mr Hu said, telling the thousands-strong audience that "incompetence" on the part of some members and their "being divorced from the people" had created problems.

"It is more urgent than ever for the party to impose discipline on its members.

"The party's development over the past 90 years has told us that firmly punishing and effectively preventing corruption is key to the winning or losing of people's support and the life or death of the party."

Mr Hu also hailed the achievements of the party "in revolution, development and reform" since it was founded.

"Today a vibrant socialist China has emerged in the East and the 1.3 billion Chinese people are marching ahead, full of confidence under the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said.

China, which likes to mark official anniversaries with pomp, has already released a star-studded patriotic film, featuring many of China's biggest stars.

And on the eve of the anniversary, premier Wen Jiabao launched a new $33 billion high-speed train line between Beijing and Shanghai - an event that was widely covered in the media.