March of the Volunteers

"Chinese National Anthem" redirects here. For the national anthem of the Republic of China, see National Anthem of the Republic of China.

The "March of the Volunteers",^[b] originally titled the "March of the Anti-Manchukuo Counter-Japan Volunteers"^[c] has been the official national anthem of the People's Republic of China since 1978. Unlike previous Chinese state anthems, it was written entirely in vernacular Chinese, rather than in Classical Chinese.

义勇军进行曲
Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ

English: March of the Volunteers
National anthem of China^[a] Military anthem of the 200th Division of the National Revolutionary Army (1938–1949)
Lyrics	Tian Han, 1934
Music	Nie Er, 16 May 1935
Adopted	January 1938 (200th Division) 27 September 1949 (provisional)^[1] 4 December 1982 (official) 1 July 1997 (Hong Kong)^[2] 20 December 1999 (Macau)^[3] 14 March 2004 (constitutional)^[4] 1 October 2017 (legalised)
Audio sample
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version file help

March of the Volunteers
Simplified Chinese	义勇军进行曲
Traditional Chinese	義勇軍進行曲
Hanyu Pinyin	Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ
Literal meaning	March of the Righteous and Brave Armies
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ Bopomofo ㄧˋ   ㄩㄥˇ   ㄐㄩㄣ ㄐㄧㄣˋ   ㄒㄧㄥˊ   ㄑㄩˇ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Yihyeongjiun Jinnshyngcheu Wade–Giles I^4-yung^3-chün^1 Chin^4-hsing^2-chʻü^3 Yale Romanization Yìyǔngjyūn Jìnsyíngchyǔ IPA [î.jʊ̀ŋ.tɕýn tɕîn.ɕǐŋ.tɕʰỳ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Yihyúhnggwān Jeunhàhngkūk Jyutping Ji6jung5gwan1 Zeon3hang4kuk1
March of the Anti-Manchukuo Counter-Japan Volunteers
Simplified Chinese	反满抗日义勇军进行曲
Traditional Chinese	反滿抗日義勇軍進行曲
Hanyu Pinyin	Fǎnmǎn Kàngrì Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fǎnmǎn Kàngrì Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ
National Anthem of the People's Republic of China
Simplified Chinese	中华人民共和国国歌
Traditional Chinese	中華人民共和國國歌
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guógē
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guógē Bopomofo ㄓㄨㄥ   ㄏㄨㄚˊ ㄖㄣˊ   ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄥˋ   ㄏㄜˊ   ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄍㄨㄛˊ   ㄍㄜ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jonghwa Renmin Gonqhergwo Gwoge Wade–Giles Chung^1-hua^2 Jên^2-min^2 Kung^4-ho^2-kuo^2 Kuo^2-ko^1 Yale Romanization Jūnghwá Rénmín Gùnghégwó Gwógē IPA [ʈʂʊ́ŋ.xwǎ ɻə̌n.mǐn kʊ̂ŋ.xɤ̌.kwǒ kwǒ.kɤ́] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jūng'wàh Yàhnmàhn Guhng'wòhgwok Gwokgō Jyutping Zung1waa4 Jan4man4 Gung6wo4gwok3 Gwok3go1

The Japanese invasion of Manchuria saw a boom of nationalistic arts and literature in China. This song had its lyrics written first by the communist playwright Tian Han in 1934, then set to melody by Nie Er and arranged by Aaron Avshalomov for the communist-aligned film Children of Troubled Times (1935).^[8] It became a famous military song during the Second Sino-Japanese War beyond the communist faction, most notably the Nationalist general Dai Anlan designated it to be the anthem of the 200th Division, who fought in Burma. It was adopted as the PRC's provisional anthem in 1949 in place of the "Three Principles of the People" of the Republic of China (1912–1949) and the Communist "Internationale". In the Cultural Revolution, Tian Han was criticized and placed in prison, where he died in 1968. The song was briefly and unofficially replaced by "The East Is Red", then reinstated but played without lyrics, restored to official status in 1978 with altered lyrics, and finally the original version was restored in 1982.

History

 

Nie Er (left) and Tian Han (right), photographed in Shanghai in 1933

The lyrics of the "March of the Volunteers", also formally known as the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China, were composed by Tian Han in 1934^[9] as two stanzas in his poem "The Great Wall" (萬里長城), (义勇军进行曲) intended either for a play he was working on at the time^[10] or as part of the script for Diantong's upcoming film Children of Troubled Times.^[11] The film is a story about a Chinese intellectual who flees during the Shanghai Incident to a life of luxury in Qingdao, only to be driven to fight the Japanese occupation of Manchuria after learning of the death of his friend. Urban legends later circulated that Tian wrote it in jail on rolling paper^[10] or the liner paper from cigarette boxes^[12] after being arrested in Shanghai by the Nationalists; in fact, he was arrested in Shanghai and held in Nanjing just after completing his draft for the film.^[11] During March^[13] and April 1935,^[11] in Japan, Nie Er set the words (with minor adjustments)^[11] to music; in May, Diantong's sound director He Luting had the Russian composer Aaron Avshalomov arrange their orchestral accompaniment.^[14] The song was performed by Gu Menghe and Yuan Muzhi, along with a small and "hastily-assembled" chorus; He Luting consciously chose to use their first take, which preserved the Cantonese accent of several of the men.^[11] On 9 May, Gu and Yuan recorded it in more standard Mandarin for Pathé Orient's Shanghai branch^[d] ahead of the movie's^{[clarification needed]} release, so that it served as a form of advertising for the film.^[14]

Originally translated as "Volunteers Marching On",^[15][16] the English name references the several volunteer armies that opposed Japan's invasion of Manchuria in the 1930s; the Chinese name is a poetic variation—literally, the "Righteous and Brave Armies"—that also appears in other songs of the time, such as the 1937 "Sword March".

 

The poster for Children of Troubled Times (1935), which used the march as its theme song

In May 1935, the same month as the movie's^{[clarification needed]} release, Lü Ji and other leftists in Shanghai had begun an amateur choir and started promoting a National Salvation singing campaign,^[17] supporting mass singing associations along the lines established the year before by Liu Liangmo, a Shanghai YMCA leader.^[11][18] Although the movie^{[clarification needed]} did not perform well enough to keep Diantong from closing, its theme song became wildly popular: musicologist Feng Zikai reported hearing it being sung by crowds in rural villages from Zhejiang to Hunan within months of its release^[12] and, at a performance at a Shanghai sports stadium in June 1936, Liu's chorus of hundreds was joined by its audience of thousands.^[11] Although Tian Han was imprisoned for two years,^[14] Nie Er fled toward the Soviet Union only to die en route in Japan,^[13][e] and Liu Liangmo eventually fled to the U.S. to escape harassment from the Nationalists.^[19] The singing campaign continued to expand, particularly after the December 1936 Xi'an Incident reduced Nationalist pressure against leftist movements.^[17] Visiting St Paul's Hospital at the Anglican mission at Guide (now Shangqiu, Henan), W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood reported hearing a "Chee Lai!" treated as a hymn at the mission service and the same tune "set to different words" treated as a favorite song of the Eighth Route Army.^[20]

 

The song's first appearance in print, the May or June 1935 Diantong Pictorial^[15]

The Pathé recording of the march appeared prominently in Joris Ivens's 1939 The 400 Million, an English-language documentary on the war in China.^[14] The same year, Lee Pao-chen included it with a parallel English translation in a songbook published in the new Chinese capital Chongqing;^[21] this version would later be disseminated throughout the United States for children's musical education during World War II before being curtailed at the onset of the Cold War.^[f] The New York Times published the song's sheet music on 24 December, along with an analysis by a Chinese correspondent in Chongqing.^[11] In exile in New York City in 1940, Liu Liangmo taught it to Paul Robeson, the college-educated polyglot folk-singing son of a runaway slave.^[19] Robeson began performing the song in Chinese at a large concert in New York City's Lewisohn Stadium.^[19] Reportedly in communication with the original lyricist Tian Han, the pair translated it into English^[14] and recorded it in both languages as "Chee Lai!" ("Arise!") for Keynote Records in early 1941.^[11][g] Its 3-disc album included a booklet whose preface was written by Soong Ching-ling, widow of Sun Yat-sen,^[24] and its initial proceeds were donated to the Chinese resistance.^[12] Robeson gave further live performances at benefits for the China Aid Council and United China Relief, although he gave the stage to Liu and the Chinese themselves for the song's performance at their sold-out concert at Washington's Uline Arena on 24 April 1941.^[25][h] Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and beginning of the Pacific War, the march was played locally in India, Singapore, and other locales in Southeast Asia;^[14] the Robeson recording was played frequently on British, American, and Soviet radio;^[14] and a cover version performed by the Army Air Force Orchestra^[27] appears as the introductory music to Frank Capra's 1944 propaganda film The Battle of China and again during its coverage of the Chinese response to the Rape of Nanking.

The "March of the Volunteers" was used as the Chinese national anthem for the first time at the World Peace Conference in April 1949. Originally intended for Paris, French authorities refused so many visas for its delegates that a parallel conference was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia.^[28] At the time, Beijing had recently come under the control of the Chinese Communists in the Chinese Civil War and its delegates attended the Prague conference in China's name. There was controversy over the third line, "The Chinese nation faces its greatest peril", so the writer Guo Moruo changed it for the event to "The Chinese nation has arrived at its moment of emancipation". The song was personally performed by Paul Robeson.^[14]

In June, a committee was set up by the Chinese Communist Party to decide on an official national anthem for the soon-to-be declared People's Republic of China. By the end of August, the committee had received 632 entries totaling 694 different sets of scores and lyrics.^[11] The March of the Volunteers was suggested by the painter Xu Beihong^[29] and supported by Zhou Enlai.^[11] Opposition to its use centered on the third line, as "The Chinese people face their greatest peril" suggested that China continued to face difficulties. Zhou replied, "We still have imperialist enemies in front of us. The more we progress in development, the more the imperialists will hate us, seek to undermine us, attack us. Can you say that we won't be in peril?" His view was supported by Mao Zedong and, on 27 September 1949, the song became the provisional national anthem, just days before the founding of the People's Republic.^[1] The highly fictionalized biopic Nie Er was produced in 1959 for its 10th anniversary; for its 50th in 1999, The National Anthem retold the story of the anthem's composition from Tian Han's point of view.^[11]

Although the song had been popular among Nationalists during the war against Japan, its performance was then banned in the territories of the Republic of China until the 1990s.^{[citation needed]}

Movie clip. Including "The March of the Volunteers".

The 1 February 1966 People's Daily article condemning Tian Han's 1961 allegorical Peking opera Xie Yaohuan as a "big poisonous weed"^[30] was one of the opening salvos of the Cultural Revolution,^[31] during which he was imprisoned and his words forbidden to be sung. As a result, there was a time when "The East Is Red" served as the PRC's unofficial anthem.^[i] Following the 9th National Congress, "The March of the Volunteers" began to be played once again from the 20th National Day Parade in 1969, although performances were solely instrumental. Tian Han died in prison in 1968, but Paul Robeson continued to send the royalties from his American recordings of the song to Tian's family.^[14]

The tune's lyrics were restored by the 5th National People's Congress on 5 March 1978,^[33] but with alterations including references to the Chinese Communist Party, communism, and Chairman Mao. Following Tian Han's posthumous rehabilitation in 1979^[11] and Deng Xiaoping's consolidation of power over Hua Guofeng, the National People's Congress resolved to restore Tian Han's original verses to the march and to elevate its status, making it the country's official national anthem on 4 December 1982.^[33][34]

 

Sheet music from Appendix 4 of Macau's Law No.5/1999.

The anthem's status was enshrined as an amendment to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China on 14 March 2004.^[4][33] On 1 September 2017, The Law of the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China, which protects the anthem by law, was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and took effect one month later. The anthem is considered to be a national symbol of China. The anthem should be performed or reproduced especially at celebrations of national holidays and anniversaries, as well as sporting events. Civilians and organizations should pay respect to the anthem by standing and singing in a dignified manner.^[35] Personnel of the People's Liberation Army, the People's Armed Police and the People's Police of the Ministry of Public Security salute when not in formation when the anthem is played, the same case for members of the Young Pioneers of China and PLA veterans.

Special administrative regions

The anthem was played during the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom in 1997^[36] and during the handover of Macau from Portugal in 1999. It was adopted as part of Annex III of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, taking effect on 1 July 1997,^[2] and as part of Annex III of the Basic Law of Macau, taking effect on 20 December 1999. ^[3] As such, “March of the Volunteers” is considered as the national anthem of Hong Kong and Macau.

The use of the anthem in the Macau Special Administrative Region is particularly governed by Law No.5/1999, which was enacted on 20 December 1999. Article 7 of the law requires that the anthem be accurately performed pursuant to the sheet music in its Appendix 4 and prohibits the lyrics from being altered. Under Article 9, willful alteration of the music or lyrics is criminally punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years or up to 360 day-fines^[37][38] and, although both Chinese and Portuguese are official languages of the region, the provided sheet music has its lyrics only in Chinese. Mainland China has also passed a similar law in 2017.^[39]

Nonetheless, the Chinese National Anthem in Mandarin now forms a mandatory part of public secondary education in Hong Kong as well.^[40] The local government issued a circular in May 1998 requiring government-funded schools to perform flag-raising ceremonies involving the singing of the "March of the Volunteers" on particular days: the first day of school, the "open day", National Day (1 October), New Year's (1 January), the "sport day", Establishment Day (1 July), the graduation ceremony, and for some other school-organized events; the circular was also sent to the SAR's private schools.^[41][42] The official policy was long ignored, but—following massive and unexpected public demonstrations in 2003 against proposed anti-subversion laws—the ruling was reiterated in 2004^[43][44] and, by 2008, most schools were holding such ceremonies at least once or twice a year.^[45] From National Day in 2004, as well, Hong Kong's local television networks—aTV, TVB, and CTVHK—have also been required to preface their evening news with government-prepared^[46] promotional videos including the national anthem in Mandarin.^[44] Initially a pilot program planned for a few months,^[47] it has continued ever since. Viewed by many as propaganda,^[47][48][49] even after a sharp increase in support in the preceding four years, by 2006, the majority of Hongkongers remained neither proud nor fond of the anthem.^[50] On 4 November 2017, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress decided to insert a Chinese National Anthem Law into the Annex III of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, which would make it illegal to insult or not show sufficient respect to the Chinese national anthem. On 4 June 2020, the National Anthem Bill was passed in Hong Kong after a controversial takeover of the Legislative Council.^[51][52]

Tune

 

A 1939 bilingual songbook which included the song called it "a good example of...copy[ing] the good points from Western music without impairing or losing our own national color".^[21] Nie's piece is a march, a Western form, opening with a bugle call and a motif (with which it also closes) based on an ascending fourth interval from D to G inspired by "The Internationale".^[53] Its rhythmic patterns of triplets, accented downbeats, and syncopation and use (with the exception of one note, F♯ in the first verse) of the G major pentatonic scale,^[53] however, create an effect of becoming "progressively more Chinese in character" over the course of the tune.^[40] For reasons both musical and political, Nie came to be regarded as a model composer by Chinese musicians in the Maoist era.^[13] Howard Taubman, the New York Times music editor, initially panned the tune as telling us China's "fight is more momentous than her art" although, after US entrance into the war, he called its performance "delightful".^[14]

Lyrics

Original version

Simplified Chinese Pinyin	Traditional Chinese Bopomofo	English lyrics
起来(Qǐlái!)！ 不愿(Búyuàn)做(zuò)奴隶(núlì)的(de)人们(rénmen!)！ 把(Bǎ)我们(wǒmen)的(de)血肉(xuèròu,)， 筑成(zhùchéng)我们(wǒmen)新的(xīnde)长城(chángchéng!)！ 中华(Zhōnghuá)民族(Mínzú)到(dào)了(liao)最(zuì)危险的(wēixiǎnde)时候(shíhòu,)， 每个(Měige)人(rén)被迫着(bèipòzhe)发出(fāchū)最后的(zuìhòude)吼声(hǒushēng.)。 起来(Qǐlái!)！ 起来(Qǐlái!)！ 起来(Qǐlái!)！ 我们(Wǒmen)万众一心(wànzhòngyīxīn,)， 冒着(Màozhe)敌人(dírén)的(de)炮火(pàohuǒ,)， 前进(qiánjìn!)！ 冒着(Màozhe)敌人(dírén)的(de)炮火(pàohuǒ,)， 前进(qiánjìn!)！ 前进(Qiánjìn!)！ 前进(Qiánjìn!)！ 进(Jìn!)！	起來（ㄑㄧˇ ㄌㄞˊ）！ 不願（ㄅㄨ' ㄩㄢ'）做（ㄗㄨㄛ'）奴隸（ㄋㄨ' ㄌㄧ'）的（˙ㄉㄜ）人們（ㄖㄣ' ˙ㄇㄣ）！ 把（ㄅㄚˇ）我們（ㄨㄛˇ ˙ㄇㄣ）的（˙ㄉㄜ）血肉（ㄒㄩㄝ' ㄖㄡ'）， 築成（ㄓㄨˋ ㄔㄥ'）我們（ㄨㄛˇ ˙ㄇㄣ）新的（ㄒㄧㄣ ˙ㄉㄜ）長城（ㄔㄤ' ㄔㄥ'）！ 中華（ㄓㄨㄥ ㄏㄨㄚ'）民族（ㄇㄧㄣ' ㄗㄨ'）到（ㄉㄠ'）了（ㄌㄧㄠˇ）最（ㄗㄨㄟ'）危險的（ㄨㄟ ㄒㄧㄢˇ ˙ㄉㄜ）時候（ㄕ' ㄏㄡˋ）， 每個（ㄇㄟˇ ˙ㄍㄜ）人（ㄖㄣ'）被迫著（ㄅㄟ' ㄆㄛ' ˙ㄓㄜ）發出（ㄈㄚ ㄔㄨ）最後的（ㄗㄨㄟ' ㄏㄡ' ˙ㄉㄜ）吼聲（ㄏㄡˇ ㄕㄥ）。 起來（ㄑㄧˇ ㄌㄞˊ）！ 起來（ㄑㄧˇ ㄌㄞˊ）！ 起來（ㄑㄧˇ ㄌㄞˊ）！ 我們（ㄨㄛˇ ˙ㄇㄣ）萬眾一心（ㄨㄢ' ㄓㄨㄥ' ㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄣ）， 冒著（ㄇㄠ' ˙ㄓㄜ）敵人（ㄉㄧ' ㄖㄣ'）的（˙ㄉㄜ）炮火（ㄆㄠ' ㄏㄨㄛˇ）， 前進（ㄑㄧㄢ' ㄐㄧㄣ'）！ 冒著（ㄇㄠ' ˙ㄓㄜ）敵人（ㄉㄧ' ㄖㄣ'）的（˙ㄉㄜ）炮火（ㄆㄠ' ㄏㄨㄛˇ）， 前進（ㄑㄧㄢ' ㄐㄧㄣ'）！ 前進（ㄑㄧㄢ' ㄐㄧㄣ'）！ 前進（ㄑㄧㄢ' ㄐㄧㄣ'）！ 進（ㄐㄧㄣ'）！	Arise! Ye who refuse to be slaves! With our flesh and blood, let us build our new Great Wall! The Chinese people face their greatest peril. From each one the urgent call for action comes forth. Arise! Arise! Arise! Us millions with but one heart, Braving the enemy's fire, march on! Braving the enemy's fire, march on! March on! March on, on!

IPA transcription

English translation in Songs of Fighting China

[t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴ laɪ̯³⁵ pu⁵¹ ɥɛn⁵¹ t͡swɔ⁵¹ nu³⁵ li⁵¹ ti⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ mən³⁵] [pä²¹⁴ wɔ²¹⁴ mən³⁵ ti⁵¹ ɕɥɛ⁵¹ ʐoʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ wɔ²¹⁴ mən³⁵ ɕin⁵⁵ ti⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵] [ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ xwä³⁵ min³⁵ t͡su³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ljɑʊ̯²¹⁴ t͡sweɪ̯⁵¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ ɕjɛn²¹⁴ ti⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹] [meɪ̯²¹⁴ kɤ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ peɪ̯⁵¹ pʰwɔ⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ə fä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ t͡sweɪ̯⁵¹ xoʊ̯⁵¹ ti⁵¹ xoʊ̯²¹⁴ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵] [t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴ laɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴ laɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴ laɪ̯³⁵] [wɔ²¹⁴ mən³⁵ wän⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵¹ i⁵⁵ ɕin⁵⁵] [mɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ə ti³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ti⁵¹ pʰɑʊ̯⁵¹ xwɔ²¹⁴ t͡ɕʰjɛn³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹] [mɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɖ͡ʐ̥ə ti³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ti⁵¹ pʰɑʊ̯⁵¹ xwɔ²¹⁴ t͡ɕʰjɛn³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹] [t͡ɕʰjɛn³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹ t͡ɕʰjɛn³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵¹]

Arise! ye who refuse to be bond slaves! With our very flesh and blood, Let us build our new Great Wall. China's masses have met the day of danger, Indignation fills the hearts of all our countrymen. Arise! Arise! Arise! Many hearts with one mind, Brave the enemy's gunfire, March on! Brave the enemy's gunfire, March on! March on! March on! On!

1978–1981 version

 

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

zh:中华人民共和国第五届全国人民代表大会第一次会议关于中华人民共和国国歌的决定

Simplified Chinese Pinyin	Traditional Chinese Bopomofo	English lyrics
前进(Qiánjìn!)! 各(Gè)民族(mínzú)英雄(yīngxióng)的(de)人民(rénmín!)！ 伟大(Wěidà)的(de)共产党(gòngchǎndǎng,)，领导(lǐngdǎo)我们(wǒmen)继续(jìxù)长征(chángzhēng!)！ 万众一心(Wànzhòngyīxīn)奔(bēn)向(xiàng)共产主义(gòngchǎnzhǔyì)明天(míngtiān!)！ 建设(Jiànshè)祖囯(zǔguó,)，保卫(bǎowèi)祖囯(zǔguó,)，英勇地(yīngyǒngde)斗争(dòuzhēng.)。 前进(Qiánjìn!)！前进(Qiánjìn!)！前进(Qiánjìn!)！ 我们(Wǒmen)千秋万代(qiānqiūwàndài,)， 高举(Gāojǔ)毛泽东(Máo Zédōng)旗帜(qízhì,)， 前进(qiánjìn!)！ 高举(Gāojǔ)毛泽东(Máo Zédōng)旗帜(qízhì,)， 前进(qiánjìn!)！ 前进(Qiánjìn!)！ 前进(Qiánjìn!)！ 进(Jìn!)！	前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ），各（ㄍㄜˋ）民族（ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄗㄨˊ）英雄（ㄧㄥ ㄒㄩㄥˊ）的（ㄉㄧˊ ）人民（ㄖㄣˊ ㄇㄧㄣˊ）！ 偉大的（ㄨㄟˇ ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄧˊ）共產黨（ㄍㄨㄥˋ ㄏㄢˇ ㄉㄤˇ），領導（ㄌㄧㄥˇ ㄉㄠˇ）我們（ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣˊ ）繼續（ㄐㄧˋ ㄒㄩˋ）長征（ㄏㄤˊ ㄓㄥ）！ 萬眾一心（ㄨㄢˋ ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄧ ㄒㄧㄣ）奔（ㄅㄣ）向（ㄒㄧㄤˋ）共產主義（ㄍㄨㄥˋ ㄏㄢˇ ㄓㄨˇ ㄧˋ）明天（ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄊㄧㄢ）！ 建設（ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄕㄜˋ）祖國（ㄗㄨˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ），保衛（ㄅㄠˇ ㄨㄟˋ）祖國（ㄗㄨˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ），英勇地（ㄧㄥ ㄩㄥˇ ㄉㄧˋ）鬥爭（ㄉㄡˇ ㄓㄥ）。 前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ）！ 前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ） ！ 前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ）！ 我們（ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄣˊ）千秋萬代（ㄑㄧㄢ ㄑㄧㄡ ㄨㄢˋ ㄉㄞˋ）, 高舉（ㄍㄠ ㄐㄩˇ）毛澤東（ㄇㄠˊ ㄗㄜˊ ㄉㄨㄥ）旗幟（ㄑㄧˊ ㄓˋ），前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ）！ 高舉（ㄍㄠ ㄐㄩˇ）毛澤東（ㄇㄠˊ ㄗㄜˊ ㄉㄨㄥ）旗幟（ㄑㄧˊ ㄓˋ），前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ）！ 前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ）！前進（ㄑㄧㄢˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ）！ 進（ㄐㄧㄣˋ）！	March on! People of all heroic nationalities! The great Communist Party leads us in continuing the Long March, Millions with but one heart toward a communist tomorrow, Develop and protect the country in a brave struggle. March on, march on, march on! We will for generations, Raise high Mao Zedong's banner, march on! Raise high Mao Zedong's banner, march on! March on! March on! On!

Variations

The march has been remixed by various performers:

• The American musician Paul Robeson recorded it in Chinese and English for the 1941 album Chee Lai! Songs of New China.^[54][55]
• The Army Air Force Orchestra recorded an instrumental version as the theme for Frank Capra's 1944 Why We Fight VI: The Battle of China.
• The Slovenian group Laibach created an electronic version of the anthem with lyrics in both English and Mandarin for their album Volk.^[56]
• The British musician Damon Albarn included a loose and upbeat version on the soundtrack to his musical Monkey: Journey to the West.^[57]
• The German musician Holger Czukay included a cut-up instrumental version on his album Der Osten ist Rot ("The East Is Red").

See also

•  China portal
•  World War II portal
•  Music portal

• Historical Chinese anthems
• Flag of the People's Republic of China
• National Emblem of the People's Republic of China

Notes

1. Including the two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau)
2. simplified Chinese: 义勇军进行曲; traditional Chinese: 義勇軍進行曲; pinyin: yìyǒngjūnjìnxíngqǔ; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄧˋ ㄩㄥˇ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩˇ
3. simplified Chinese: 反满抗日义勇军进行曲; traditional Chinese: 反滿抗日義勇軍進行曲; pinyin: fǎnmǎnkàngrìyìyǒngjūnjìnxíngqǔ; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄈㄢˇ ㄇㄢˇ ㄎㄤˋ ㄖˋㄧˋ ㄩㄥˇ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄑㄩˇ^[5][6][7]
4. Pathé's local music director at the time was the French-educated Ren Guang, who in 1933 was a founding member of Soong Ching-ling's "Soviet Friends Society"'s Music Group. Prior to his arrest, Tian Han served as the group's head and Nie Er was another charter member. Liu Liangmo, who subsequently did much to popularize the use of the song, had also joined by 1935.^[14]
5. Nie actually finalized the movie's^{[clarification needed]} music in Japan and sent it back to Diantong in Shanghai.^[11]
6. The lyrics, which appeared in the Music Educators' Journal,^[22] are sung verbatim in Philip Roth's 1969 Portnoy's Complaint, where Portnoy claims "the rhythm alone can cause my flesh to ripple" and that his elementary school teachers were already calling it the "Chinese national anthem".^[23]
7. This song was also sometimes spelled as Chi Lai or Ch'i-Lai.
8. The Washington Committee for Aid to China had previously booked Constitution Hall but been blocked by the Daughters of the American Revolution owing to Robeson's race. The indignation was great enough that President Roosevelt's wife Eleanor and the Chinese ambassador joined as sponsors, ensuring that the Uline Arena would accept and desegregate for the single concert. When the organizers offered generous terms to the National Negro Congress to help fill the larger venue, however, these sponsors withdrew and attempted to cancel the event, owing to the NNC's Communist ties^[26] and Mrs. Roosevelt's personal history with the NNC's founder.^[25]
9. Such use continued some time after the "March of the Volunteers"'s nominal rehabilitation in 1969.^[32]
10. Mistakenly credited to Nie Er & "Xiexing Hai" (i.e., Xian Xinghai).

References

1. Resolution on the Capital, Calendar, National Anthem, and National Flag of the People's Republic of China. 1st Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Beijing), 27 September 1949. Hosted at Wikisource.
2. Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Annex III. 7th National People's Congress (Beijing), 4 April 1990. Hosted at Wikisource.
3. Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Annex III. 8th National People's Congress (Beijing), 31 March 1993. Hosted at Wikisource.
4. Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Amendment IV, §31. 10th National People's Congress (Beijing), 14 March 2004. Hosted at Wikisource.
5. 曾永介 (25 December 2012). . 雲南文獻. Yunnan Association of Taipei (42). Archived from the original on 14 April 2021.
6. 曹建民 (29 August 2013). . Kuancheng History Museum, Hebei, China. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016.
7. 丛焕宇 (8 February 2021). . Liaoning Daily. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021 – via People.com.
8. The politics of songs: Myths and symbols in the Chinese communist war music, 1937–1949. CT Hung. Modern Asian Studies, 1996.
9. Huang, Natasha N. 'East Is Red': A Musical Barometer for Cultural Revolution Politics and Culture, pp. 25 ff.
10. Rojas, Carlos. The Great Wall: A Cultural History, p. 132. Harvard University Press (Cambridge), 2010. ISBN 0674047877.
11. Chi, Robert. "'The March of the Volunteers': From Movie Theme Song to National Anthem" in Re-envisioning the Chinese Revolution: The Politics and Poetics of Collective Memories in Reform China, pp. 217 ff. 30 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Woodrow Wilson Center Press (Washington, DC), 2007.
12. Melvin, Sheila & al. Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese, p. 129 25 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Algora Publishing (New York), 2004.
13. Liu (2010), p. 154 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
14. Liang Luo. "International Avant-garde and the Chinese National Anthem: Tian Han, Joris Ivens, and Paul Robeson" in The Ivens Magazine, No. 16 6 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. European Foundation Joris Ivens (Nijmegen), October 2010. Accessed 22 January 2015.
15. 《電通半月畫報》 [Diantong Pictorial], No. 1 (16 May) or No. 2 (1 June). Diantong Film Co. (Shanghai), 1935.
16. Yang, Jeff & al. Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese Cinema, p. 136. Atria Books (New York), 2003.
17. Liu Ching-chih. Translated by Caroline Mason. A Critical History of New Music in China, p. 172. Chinese University Press (Hong Kong), 2010.
18. Gallicchio, Marc. The African American Encounter with Japan & China, p. 164. 25 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine University of North Carolina Press (Chapel Hill), 2000.
19. Liu Liangmo. Translated by Ellen Yeung. "The America I Know". China Daily News, 13–17 July 1950. Reprinted as "Paul Robeson: The People's Singer (1950)" in Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present, pp. 207 ff. 30 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine University of California Press (Berkeley), 2006.
20. Journey to a War, cited in Chi (2007), p. 225.
21. Lee, Pao-chen (1939). China's Patriots Sing. Chungking: The China Information Publishing Co.
22. Music Educators Journal. National Association for Music Education, 1942.
23. Roth, Philip. Portnoy's Complaint. 1969.
24. Deane, Hugh. Good Deeds & Gunboats: Two Centuries of American-Chinese Encounters, p. 169. China Books & Periodicals (Chicago), 1990.
25. Gellman, Erik S. Death Blow to Jim Crow: The National Negro Congress and the Rise of Militant Civil Rights, pp. 136 30 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. University of North Carolina Press (Chapel Hill), 2012. ISBN 9780807835319.
26. Robeson, Paul Jr. The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: Quest for Freedom, 1939–1976, pp. 25 f 30 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. John Wiley & Sons (Hoboken), 2010.
27. Eagan, Daniel. America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, pp. 390 f. 1 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine Continuum International (New York), 2010.
28. Santi, Rainer. "100 Years of Peace Making: A History of the International Peace Bureau and Other International Peace Movement Organisations and Networks" in Pax Förlag 21 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. International Peace Bureau, January 1991.
29. Liao Jingwen. Translated by Zhang Peiji. Xu Beihong: Life of a Master Painter, pp. 323 f. Foreign Language Press (Beijing), 1987.
30. "T'ien Han and his Play Hsieh Yao-huan". Current Background. Hong Kong: American Consulate General (784): 1. 30 March 1966.
31. Wagner, Rudolf G. "Tian Han's Peking Opera Xie Yaohuan (1961)" in The Contemporary Chinese Historical Drama: Four Studies, pp. 80 ff. 19 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine University of California Press (Berkeley), 1990. ISBN 9780520059542
32. Miller, Toby (2003). "Broadcasting and Politics Spread Across the World" in Television: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies, Vol. I, p. 361. ISBN 9780415255035. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
33. 《中华人民共和国国歌》 [Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guógē, "National Anthem of the People's Republic of China"]. State Council of the People's Republic of China (Beijing), 2015. Accessed 21 January 2015. (in Chinese)
34. "National Anthem" 4 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. State Council of the People's Republic of China (Beijing), 26 August 2014. Accessed 21 January 2015.
35. [The Law of the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China] (PDF) (in Chinese). The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
36. Ho Wai-chung. School Music Education and Social Change in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, p. 69. 3 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine Koninklijke Brill NV (Leiden), 2011. ISBN 9789004189171.
37. 第5/1999號法律 國旗、國徽及國歌的使用及保護 [Dì 5/1999 Háo Fǎlǜ: Guóqí, Guóhuī jí Guógē de Shǐyòng jí Bǎohù, "Law №5/1999: The Use and Protection of the National Flag, National Emblem, and National Anthem"]. Legislative Assembly (Macao), 20 December 1999. Hosted at the Chinese Wikisource. (in Chinese)
38. Lei n.º 5/1999: Utilização e protecção da bandeira, emblema e hino nacionais ["Law №5/1999: The Use and Protection of the National Flag, Emblem, and Anthem"]. Legislative Assembly (Macao), 20 December 1999. Hosted at the Portuguese Wikisource. (in Portuguese)
39. "China's national anthem law takes effect". english.www.gov.cn. from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
40. Ho (2011), p. 36. 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine
41. Ho (2011), pp. 89 ff. 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine
42. Lee, Wing On. "The Development of Citizenship Education Curriculum in Hong Kong after 1997: Tensions between National Identity and Global Citizenship" in Citizenship Curriculum in Asia and the Pacific, p. 36. 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine Comparative Education Research Centre (Hong Kong), 2008.
43. Riemenschnitter, Andrea; Madsen, Deborah L. (August 2009). "Positioning at the Margins" in Diasporic Histories: Cultural Archives of Chinese Transnationalism, pp. 57 f. ISBN 9789622090804. from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
44. Vickers, Edward. "Learning to Love the Motherland: 'National Education' in Post-Retrocession Hong Kong" in Designing History in East Asian Textbooks: Identity Politics and Transnational Aspirations, p. 94 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Routledge (Abingdon), 2011. ISBN 9780415602525.
45. Mathews, Gordon & al. Hong Kong, China: Learning to Belong to a Nation, p. 89. 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine Routledge (Abingdon), 2008. ISBN 0415426545.
46. Hong Kong 2004: Education: "Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education" 4 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Government Yearbook (Hong Kong), 2015. Accessed 25 January 2015.
47. Wong, Martin. "National Anthem To Be Broadcast before News". 16 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), 1 October 2004.
48. Luk, Helen. "Chinese National Anthem Video Draws Fire from Hong Kong People" 25 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Associated Press, 7 October 2004.
49. Jones, Carol. "Lost in China? Mainlandisation and Resistance in Post-1997 Hong Kong" in Taiwan in Comparative Perspective, Vol. 5, pp. 28–ff. 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine London School of Economics (London), July 2014.
50. Mathews & al. (2008), p. 104. 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine
51. "Chaos at Hong Kong's legislature as lawmakers battle for control of committee". HKFP. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
52. "Hong Kong passes bill criminalising disrespect of Chinese national anthem". ABC News. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
53. Howard, Joshua (2014). ""Music for a National Defense": Making Martial Music During the Anti-Japanese War". Cross-Currents. 13: 11–12. from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
54. Paul Robeson's "Chee Lai!" Audio hosted at the Internet Archive. Lyrics and sheet music^[j] hosted at Political Folk Music. Accessed 22 January 2015.
55. Bonner, David. Revolutionizing Children's Records: 1946–1977, pp. 47 f. 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Scarecrow Press (Plymouth), 2008.
56. Anderson, Rick. "Laibach: Volk" 2 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. AllMusic (San Francisco), 2015. Accessed 22 January 2015.
57. Jones, Chris. "Monkey: Journey to the West Review" 14 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine. BBC Music (London), 2008. Accessed 18 December 2011.

External links

 

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

March of the Volunteers

 

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

zh:中华人民共和国第五届全国人民代表大会第一次会议关于中华人民共和国国歌的决定

• 中华人民共和国国歌 (in Chinese (China)). Government of the People's Republic of China.
• National Anthem of the People's Republic of China (EN)
• Official instrumental version, hosted by the People's Republic of China
• Semi-official vocal version, hosted by the China Internet Information Center
• "March of the Volunteers" at National Anthems

Preceded by Three Principles of the People (1943–1949 in the Mainland and since 1949 in Taiwan)	March of the Volunteers 1949–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by God Save the Queen (until Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong)	March of the Volunteers 1997–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by A Portuguesa (until Transfer of sovereignty over Macau)	March of the Volunteers 1999–present	Succeeded by Incumbent