The Chinese Communist Party's 18th Congress began November 8 and is expected to name a new generation of leaders. Here's a look at scenes before, during, and around the congress as China prepares for what is expected to be the most important political meeting in a decade. (12 PHOTOS)
China Chooses A New Generation Of Leaders

1
Military delegates leave the Great Hall of the People after the opening ceremony.

2
People look at a portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong at a studio in Beijing.

3
Paramilitary policemen hold their fists in front of a flag of the Communist Party as they attend an oath-taking rally to ensure the safety of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party, at a military base in Hangzhou.

4
A man poses with carboard cutouts of U.S. President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a hotel during an event organised by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

5
A worker cleans near a poster of the late Chairman Mao Zedong at a thermal power plant in Henan Province.

6
A paramilitary police officer stands in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

7
People stroll through Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

8
Elderly women with red armbands, identifying them as security volunteers, chat as they sit to watch over a traditional alleyway in central Beijing.

9
Young Pioneers gather during a flag-raising ceremony at the East Experimental School in Shanghai.

10
A staff member walks around the Great Hall of People during a press conference in Beijing.

11
A security officer stands guard at the opening ceremony.

12
Delegates before the opening ceremony