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China's Communist Party has opened its five-yearly congress, with General Secretary Xi Jinping consolidating his position as the country's most powerful leader in decades.

The meeting will appoint the top leadership until 2022, set policy direction, and could see "Xi Jinping Thought" written into the party constitution, an honour only previously awarded to Mao Zedong.

Heavy security is in place, both on the streets and online, with already strict internet censorship stepped up, and VPN (virtual private network) services which allow users to bypass China's "Great Firewall" reduced to only sporadic connection.

Thousands of extra police officers have been brought in from across the country, with all police leave in Beijing reportedly cancelled.

Neighbourhood security volunteers with red armbands keep watch in residential streets, as huge red banners all over the capital pledge to "Unswervingly Uphold the Party's Leadership", and "Hold High the Banner of Chinese Socialism".

If you were in any doubt about who runs China, a quick tour of this city right now will set you straight.

There is a vast new exhibition, ostensibly to celebrate China's outstanding achievements over the five years, but walking around it, the focus seems to be on one man.

Everywhere you look, there are huge photographs of Mr Xi - greeting workers at a factory, meeting delighted villagers in the provinces, and trying out an assault rifle at a military base - even as his officials deny he is building a personality cult.

You will find no mention here of the crackdown he has overseen on civil society, and the recent death of a Nobel laureate in detention.

Instead, we found visitors admiring the displays, and extolling the leader's virtues.

"Xi has contributed to our economy and technological development, especially bringing new ideas to our foreign policy," said Mr Liu, a pensioner from Beijing.

"I think Xi is a leader who can lead the Chinese people to realise the Chinese dream and make China stronger," international relations student Kang Pu assured us.

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At regular intervals, smartly-dressed tour guides lead their charges through the hall, pointing out "the photos of Xi Jinping's inspection visits," and "photos of beautiful China."

On a big screen on one wall, a video plays on a constant loop, showing footage of Mr Xi overseeing massive military exercises and rallying the troops, over a dramatic soundtrack.

It ends with a large eagle screeching and flying into the sunset over an aircraft carrier.

But for all the triumphant propaganda, this country faces significant challenges in the coming years with domestic economic growth slowing and debt mounting.

Despite the "war on pollution" the government claims to be fighting and its proclaimed leadership in the global fight against climate change, extensive environmental degradation is leaving the air in the capital (and many large cities) still regularly unsafe to breathe.

Then there are the external uncertainties, such as the trade war Donald Trump repeatedly threatened from the campaign trail, and the danger of actual war on the Korean peninsula, with Mr Xi under pressure to rein in his nuclear-armed neighbour.

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The latter, however, can be framed as evidence of a "West in disarray", Yanmei Xie, who analyses Chinese politics at Gavekal Dragonomics, told us.

"These externally-imposed problems can be spun as part of the US-led effort to contain China, and that can be used to his political advantage to fan up nationalism, and to shore up unity around him," she explained.

"He has fashioned himself as a steady hand, a steady helmsman, who has provided the Chinese people stability and prosperity in this world that's becoming increasingly chaotic, and that's a narrative that has a lot of currency among the general Chinese public."

"I think Xi Jinping has a great narrative to take into his second term, and to launch his agenda for next five years," Ms Xie concluded.

If Mr Xi follows recent convention, this should be the halfway point in his ten-year term, but there is growing uncertainty about whether he plans to step down in 2022.

This congress will be closely watched for signals that Mr Xi has any intention of handing over his office, if not necessarily his power, in five years' time.