
President Xi Jinping have urged young people in China to stay loyal to the Communist Party during an hour-long speech to celebrate the centenary of a student protest in Beijing.

Xi sought to whip up patriotic sentiment with the lengthy speech today at the Great Hall of the People as the nation commemorated the May Fourth Movement.

The movement was a landmark protest against colonialism and imperialism that rocked China in 1919 and led to the founding of the Communist Party of China two years later.

The 65-year-old leader told keen youngsters as many of them took notes: 'The theme, direction and goal of a new-era youth movement in China is to stick to the leadership of the Communist Party of China.'

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of May Fourth Movement in Beijing today

Xi said young people must 'listen to the party and follow the party' and dedicate their whole lives to showing their patriotism

Young people take notes as they listen to the hour-long speech by President Xi, China's most powerful leader since Mao

He added that young people must 'listen to the party and follow the party' and dedicate their whole lives to showing their patriotism.

Xi hailed the spirit of the May Fourth Movement and urged the 'modern-day youngsters' to carry on the 'revolutionary spirit' of their predecessors, according to a transcript of the speech from Xinhua News Agency.

He quoted Chairman Mao, the founding father of Communist China who took part in the movement 100 years ago: 'As early as 80 years ago, comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Chinese youth movement has very good revolutionary tradition and the tradition is to 'strive forever'."'

Xi also said: 'New-era Chinese youth need to establish faith in Marxism and in socialism with Chinese characteristics and have confidence in the realisation of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.'

China today marked the centenary of the May Fourth Movement, which began when Beijing University students marched in anger over World War I concessions to Japan on May 4 in 1919. The celebration was held at Beijing's Great Hall of the People

Participants walk through the Great Hall of the People after attending the ceremony to hail the May Fourth Movement

Soldiers of People's Liberation Army and other delegates clap during the ceremony hosted by the Communist Party of China

Delegates watch a video during the ceremony in which Xi urges the Chinese youngsters to love the Communist leadership

He also urged young people to stay away from materialism, hedonism and 'extreme individualism'.

Xi made no mention of a student movement on Tian'anmen Square in 1989 or the Chinese army's sequential crackdown on the pro-democracy protest which killed at least 10,000 young people, according to a document released in 2017.

However, Xi told rows of young people, workers, soldiers and Communist Party cadres: 'It's very shameful if a person isn't patriotic or even deceives or betrays the motherland. There is no place for such a person to stand anywhere.

'In contemporary China, the essence of patriotism is to combine one's love for the country with love for the party and socialism,' he said.

Xi is heard talking in footage released by China Global Television Network: 'The history has shown that as long as the Chinese people and the Chinese nation dare to sacrifice themselves and to change their destiny, our country will prosper, and our nation will realise the great rejuvenation.'

The May Fourth Movement was a landmark protest against colonialism and imperialism that rocked China in 1919 and led to the birth of the Communist Party of China two years later. The above picture shows the participants from Peking University

It was a nationalist movement that began when some 3,000 Peking University students marched to Tian'anmen Square

The protesters from 100 years ago were angry at the handing of German concessions in China to Japan during World War I

Xi Jinping: China's most powerful leader since Mao Xi Jinping has been widely considered as China's most powerful leader since the nation's founding father Chairman Mao who ruled from 1949 to 1976. Xi could potentially rule China for life after Chinese lawmakers in March last year abolished presidential term limits that had been in place for more than 35 years. His ideology, formally known as Xi Jinping Thought, was also incorporated into China's Constitution to further solidify his power. Last year, Xi was named by Forbes as the most powerful person on Earth, ending Putin's four-year reign at the top and pushing Trump down to the third. Advertisement

The May 4, 1919 protest was a nationalist movement that began when some 3,000 Peking University students marched to Tian'anmen Square in anger at the handing of German concessions in China to Japan at the end of World War I.

The protests mushroomed into calls for a cultural and political awakening to modernise China.

Other sensitive dates loom this year, including the 30th anniversary of the Tian'anmen protests on June 4, the 10th anniversary of riots in the restive Xinjiang region on July 5, and five years since the Hong Kong pro-democracy Umbrella Movement.

While Xi has repeatedly extolled the teachings of Marx and the Communist Party, authorities have apparently cracked down on Marxist students who backed labour movements in recent months.

Two sources close to a Marxist student group at elite Peking University told AFP Tuesday that they hadn't been able to contact five students for over 24 hours, raising concerns that they may have been detained by police for taking part in an activity to mark Labour Day.

The group includes Qiu Zhanxuan, the school's former Marxist society president, who was detained by police in December and later forced to step down by college administration after attempting to commemorate the 125th birthday of Mao Zedong, whose legacy in China remains controversial.

While Xi has repeatedly extolled the teachings of Marx and the Communist Party, Chinese authorities have apparently cracked down on Marxist students who backed labour movements in recent months. Two sources close to a Marxist student group at elite Peking University told AFP on Tuesday that they hadn't been able to contact five students for over 24 hours

One former Marxist society president was detained by police after attempting to commemorate the 125th birthday of Mao

Delegates clap to President Xi could potentially rule China for life after Chinese lawmakers in March last year abolished presidential term limits. Xi has been considered as China's most powerful leader since its founding father Chairman Mao

Qiu on Sunday posted online that he would work overnight with workers at an industrial park in Beijing to experience the life of manual labourers.

Plainclothes police had followed the students to the industrial park, a friend of Qiu told AFP.

'Chinese labour rights incidents happen one after another, and authorities are worried that progressive students will defend labour rights, which will affect the false 'harmony and stability' the government has created,' said the student, who requested anonymity.

Beijing police and Peking University officials could not be reached for comment.

Considered China's most prestigious university, Peking has a history of student activism with its alumni playing a key role in the pro-democracy Tian'anmen protests in 1989 and the May Fourth movement.

In his speech, Xi urged youth to 'create a better life with hard work and honest labour.'

'Youth should not be opportunistic and reject shortcuts,' he warned.

Xi's speech was 'ridiculously ironic,' as the Communist Party was 'using nationalism to suppress the rights of everyday people's struggles,' the student said.