Hong Kong protesters hit the streets as China marks 70 years of Communist rule

A pro-democracy protester walks in front of a burning barricade during clashes with police in Wan Chai on October 1, 2019 in Hong Kong

Massive protests broke out in Hong Kong on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Here’s what you need to know:

An 18-year-old man who was shot with a live round by police was arrested for assaulting an officer, police commissioner Stephen Lo Wai Chung said.

The man is still receiving treatment in hospital, the commissioner told reporters.

Lo said he believed police, who fired six shots on Tuesday, exercised restraint, but added that they will further investigate. Police will also decide whether to bring charges at a later time.

Lo criticized demonstrators, saying their only objective was to vandalize and injure citizens.

“Today is a really sad for me,” he said.

Hong Kong police arrested more than 180 people in protests across Hong Kong on Tuesday, police said.

Hong Kong’s police commissioner called the day’s rallies — which were held on China’s National Day — the “most violent scenes” he has seen in the city. At least 25 officers were injured in the protests, he said.

As CNN’s Anna Coren was reporting live outside of Hong Kong’s Mong Kok police station, officer began firing what appeared to be tear gas at protesters and members of the media.

“They’re firing tear gas at the media,” she said as the sound of shots rang out. You can watch the moment in the video below.

Earlier, a police pointed a weapon at reporters gathered in the area, she said.

It was not clear what kind of ammunition was inside the gun.

CNN has emailed police for comment about that incident.

It’s not just protesters who are out tonight: Local residents are on Nathan Road in Hong Kong’s Prince Edward. Unlike protesters, they’re not wearing gas masks or any protection — they’re just in T-shirts.

Many are yelling at the police line, taunting the riot police who are equipped with helmets and shields.

“Shoot your gun! You were so brave to shoot the protester,” some taunted, referring to the person who was shot earlier today.

“Shoot all of us!” some yelled angrily.

So far, the police haven’t responded.

The scene in the suburb of Prince Edward in Hong Kong shows how fast things can change. 

Earlier, black-clad protesters gathered on Nathan Road. Some sheltered behind umbrellas, while others set off handheld fireworks in the direction of Mong Kok police station — a station that has often been targeted during the protest movement.

Suddenly, that all changed: Riot police charged from both ends of the road, chasing protesters down a side street.

Now, police are asking people to leave Prince Edward, but many bystanders are still milling about.

Here’s a look at the scene from earlier today:

A man was shot with a live round as violent protests erupted across Hong Kong on the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China today.

This is significant: While it is not the first time police have fired live warning shots, it is the first injury resulting from one since the protests began 17 weeks ago.

This video appears to show the moments before the officer shot a protester:

It’s 10 p.m. in Hong Kong and Beijing, the end of a long and eventful National Day that saw both celebration and chaos.

If you’re just joining us now, here’s what you need to know:

The protests in Hong Kong have thinned out, although a small hardcore group of frontline demonstrators are staying on the streets.

A few hundred black-clad protesters have gathered on Nathan Road in Kowloon districts. But many other districts like Wan Chai, which had been filled with protesters in the afternoon, have been cleared out. Riot police are still spread across the city – in some places, police and press seem to outnumber the dwindling protesters.

The intensity has also died down slightly. There are still face-offs between the protesters and police happening, as well as arrests being made, but there aren’t the violent scuffles and charging attack lines that characterized demonstrations earlier today.

For just an hour, at the very end of October 1, Beijing seemed genuinely excited for their National Day.

Most of the day’s major events had taken place under tight lock and key, behind armed police and metal barriers in the heart of the city. 

But late tonight, as the fireworks went up from Tiananmen Square, thousands of Beijing citizens from neighboring hutongs took to the streets, blocking traffic for a chance to see the bright lights. 

Elderly residents in wheelchairs were brought outside, while children sat on parents’ shoulders. People waved China’s national flag, and some even shouted ”Happy birthday” in English. 

In parks, streets, and malls across the city, people’s excitement all day felt obligatory – not forced, but not very passionate either. 

Most of the real enthusiasm was in the multitude of flags hung from doors or the massive propaganda posters designed by the government. 

Fireworks are making an appearance in both Beijing and Hong Kong – but in drastically different ways.

In Beijing, it’s part of an elaborate ongoing celebration in Tiananmen Square – the fireworks even spelled out “70” at one point in a nod to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

But in Hong Kong, the fireworks have become part of the chaotic protests. As demonstrators in Sham Shui Po district light the fireworks, they shout, “Hong Kong people add oil” – a local rallying cry, which other protesters nearby echo in a call-and-response.

Watch it here:

Performers in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square are holding sparklers and singing to patriotic music as they stand in formation to form the glowing Chinese characters “xin shi dai” – which translates to “new era.”

It’s been a common theme all throughout today’s celebrations in Beijing, with the focus on China’s development over the past few decades and modernization drive. There have been parade floats with giant robot statues and performers dressed as astronauts, all paying tribute to China’s technological advances.

Even Beijing’s recently-unveiled mascots for the forthcoming 2022 Winter Olympics give a nod to this technological advance – the panda mascot, encased in ice, has a multicolored ring on its face deliberately reminiscent of an astronaut’s helmet.

Protesters in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po district have adopted a hit-and-run technique. They have set two subway station exits on fire, and are calling to nearby residents to close their windows.

“This is done, we’re leaving” organizers shouted on loudspeaker. “Let’s leave together,” they chanted.

Protesters are also lighting firecrackers and fireworks, eliciting cheers.

“Our plan was to make international headlines to embarrass Xi Jinping,” said one protester through a loudspeaker.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on October 1, 2019.

Tonight’s 70th anniversary celebrations in Beijing have highlighted aspects of traditional Chinese culture – from dragon dancing to tai chi.

Since President Xi Jinping came to power, his directives and speeches have shaped every aspect of Chinese society – including its cultural sectors, where art is expected to embody the country’s values and “traditional virtues.”

But what precisely does that look like? A new CNN Style series explores the president’s sweeping influence, from the clothes people wear to what’s playing at the box office.

Two features from the series have published so far:

‘Post-weird’: How Chinese architecture evolved in the Xi Jinping era

In a 2014 speech, Xi criticized the construction of unusual buildings – presumably referring to the experimental and often bizarre architecture that swept China in the 2000s. A more explicit government directive, calling for the end of “oversized, xenocentric, weird” buildings, followed in 2016.

Now, architects are increasingly looking to China’s history and culture for inspiration. CNN’s Oscar Holland explores how Chinese architecture went from giant teapot buildings and pants-shaped skyscrapers to subtler projections of power and identity.

Read more here

Rise of the Chinese Communist Party-approved blockbuster

Last year, censorship of China’s movie industry was moved to a new super-agency, directly under the supervision of the Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. This removed any theoretical separation between the Party and regulation of the film industry, which state media said had a “unique and important role … in disseminating ideas and in culture and entertainment.”

In this opaque censorship system, multimillion-dollar films can be pulled just days before release – even after passing initial checks. CNN’s James Griffiths writes about the state of the country’s film industry and how patriotic blockbusters came to rule the Chinese box office.

Read more here

While celebrations and fireworks continue in Beijing, at the other end of the country, there are still hundreds of black-clad protesters milling outside a government building in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po district.

Crowds are thinning a little, but the unrest isn’t quite over. Only 20 minutes ago, protesters set fire to trash and road cones outside the government building. 

Fire fighters have now put the blaze out, and some of the angry demonstrators have dispersed. 

But the protesters still here seem keen for a fight. They’ve put up barricades, and there are people graffitiing the streets.

It’s also a scene of destruction – the government buildings have been vandalized, and the streets are littered with remnants of petrol bombs and trash. 

Thousands of Beijing citizens denied a chance to see Tuesday’s fireworks in person are now cramming the roads north of Tiananmen Square for a chance to see the action. 

There are so many that they’re even blocking traffic, a sight almost unseen this close to the city center. 

It’s a hugely diverse group. There are lots of young people waving flags or with red flags painted on their faces, as well as dozens of children up past their bedtime and sleeping on parents’ shoulders.

Many spectators are standing on top of walls or on bikes, straining to see. Every now and then, the fireworks go up and children rise onto their parents’ shoulders, along with a sea of phones and cameras.

The celebrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square feature dancers, musical performers – and ethnic minorities, dressed in traditional costumes.

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, but the vast majority of the country’s population belongs to the Han ethnic majority – over 51%. The other 55 have struggled for years with disappearing minority languages and cultural practices – but they have been highlighted all throughout today’s events.

Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned the ethnic groups this morning in his opening speech.

“At this moment people of all ethnic groups, and Chinese men and women around the world, are filled with great joy and happiness, proud of this great country and sending good wishes to our great motherland,” he said.

There was also a 56-gun salute in this morning’s military parade, representing the 56 ethnic groups.

Chinese President Xi Jinping at Belt and Road Forum on April 26, 2019 in Beijing, China.

The Chinese Communist Party often places heavy significance on dates like this anniversary. For instance, 2021 will be the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party – and is the self-imposed deadline for President Xi Jinping to deliver signature achievements like as eradicating all poverty.

Similarly, today has been used to highlight how far China has come since the party took power in 1949.

China’s explosive growth: In the last 20 years alone, China’s wealth per adult has quadrupled, while its GDP has gone from just $150 billion in 1978 to over $12 trillion in 2018. Just over 30 million people are still living in poverty in China, down from 770 million 40 years ago.

Of course, China is facing certain challenges – it’s still embroiled in a trade war with the United States, and there are violent weekly protests just across the border in Hong Kong.

But in the lead-up to this important day, state media promoted positive news stories about the government’s achievements. On television, popular dramas have even been banned in favor of patriotic films.

From Beijing’s traditional hutongs around Tiananmen Square, the sky over the square looks blood red.

In the city’s Dongcheng district, groups of people have gathered to watch the fireworks which occasionally burst up from the center of Beijing.

When the fireworks go up, parents hold their children on their shoulders and people gasp in awe.

This is as close as most residents can get to the celebration – except by watching it on state TV. Any closer, and the streets are tightly controlled and policed.

From the hutongs, all you can see of China’s spectacular is the fireworks and the occasional strain of music. 

Further out, there’s not even that – less lucky residents watch from restaurants and on their phones. 

When the parade begins, and an enormous crowd held up placards to form the Chinese flag. One woman in a restaurant asked ”How did they learn to do that?”

The view from a hutong near Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Beijing’s Tiananmen Square is awash in color tonight. There is a thousand-person orchestra playing; dancers waving ribbons; spectators waving Chinese flags; ethnic minorities dressed in traditional costumes; all the while, fireworks are going off, lighting up the smoggy night sky.

All this is happening seemingly simultaneously, in an extravagant display reminiscent of the country’s famous annual televised New Year gala.

The endless parade of perfectly choreographed celebratory events might also offer a glimpse at what Beijing has in store for its 2022 Winter Olympics, which it has already begun promoting.

It’s a huge contrast to what’s happening in Hong Kong – instead of fireworks, there are fires being set on the streets and firebombs being thrown.