But the pomp and pageantry come while tensions are growing both inside and outside the mainland. There’s the debilitating trade war with the U.S., a swine fever epidemic and months of protests in Hong Kong against Chinese rule.

In Hong Kong over the weekend, scenes of tear gas, fires and clashes between riot police and protesters offered a jarring counternarrative to the Communist Party that threatens to overshadow Beijing’s elaborate celebrations on Tuesday.

The latest: Sunday’s unrest was the most violent since Hong Kong’s protest movement began in June. Protesters set fires at intersections and tossed Molotov cocktails at the police, who hit back with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons.

Go deeper: At the heart of the turmoil in Hong Kong is an identity crisis. For many, being a loyal resident of the semiautonomous city and being Chinese have become mutually exclusive.