The atmosphere in the gilded banquet hall at Beijing's State Guesthouse was festive Sunday afternoon, as the children of Communist Party revolutionaries gathered to celebrate the Lunar New Year and praise the most prominent member of their class, President Xi Jinping.
The annual meeting of the Yanan Children's Friendship Association began with traditional singing of classics from the party hymnal. "Without the Communist Party, there would be no China," the largely silver-maned crowd of hundreds of "princelings" sang in unison. A calligrapher showed attendees how to combine the characters for Xi's "Chinese dream" slogan with the traditional new year blessing of "good fortune."
The celebrations gave way, however, to stark warnings from group founder Hu Muying, who called on attendees to stay faithful amid the "complex and fluctuating situation" confronting China three years into Xi's rule.