A grand gathering celebrating the centenary of the Communist Party of\r\n China was held at Tian'anmen Square at the heart of Beijing on \r\nThursday.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central \r\nCommittee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military \r\nCommission, arrived at Tian'anmen Rostrum.

Premier Li Keqiang announced the beginning of the ceremony.

Military\r\n aircraft flew over Tian'anmen Square in echelons. Helicopters flew in \r\nthe formation of "100," representing the 100 years of the Party. A \r\n100-gun salute was fired. A national flag-raising ceremony was held.

A\r\n congratulatory message jointly issued by eight other political parties,\r\n the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and personages \r\nwithout party affiliation was read out at the ceremony.

Representatives\r\n of the Chinese Communist Youth League members and Young Pioneers \r\nsaluted the CPC and expressed commitment to the Party's cause.