CHINA (People's Republic) : China (People's Republic) National Anthem
Chinese (People's Republic) National Anthem
National Anthem of the People's Republic of China
March of the Volunteers

• Author: Tian Han (1898-1968)
• Composer: Nie Er (1912-1935)
• Adopted: 1949
• National Day: October 01 (1949) - Founding of the People's Republic of China
• Buy:

  Nie Er

• Further details: The National Anthem of the People's Republic of China is 'The March of the Volunteers'. It was first composed in 1935. On June 15 1949, the Preparatory Committee for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference decided to solicit songs suitable for China's National Anthem and on July 18 1949 it inserted notices in the newspapers to this effect. On September 27 1949, the Preparatory Committee passed a resolution that until such time as a National Anthem was officially chosen 'The March of the Volunteers' would serve as a temporary National Anthem.
  
  During the 'cultural revolution' there was a period when 'The East Is Red' was used as a substitute National Anthem. Later, the earlier National Anthem was restored, though according to a resolution passed by the People's Congress in 1978, its lyrics were changed. In 1982, the Fifth Session of the Fifth National People's Congress resolved to restore the original 1935 version of 'The March of the Volunteers' as the official National Anthem. It was written by the lyricist TIAN HAN (1898-1968). In his youth he studied in Japan, returning to China in 1921. He was an active dramatist and poet, and wrote more than one hundred plays and other dramatic works.
  
  The composer was NIE ER (1912-1935). He fell in love with music at an early age and mastered numerous folk instruments. He went to Shanghai in 1930, and the following year joined the Mingyue Song and Dance Troupe as a violinist. In 1935, shortly after composing 'The March of the Volunteers', he embarked on a trip to the Soviet Union via Japan. During his stopover in Japan, he drowned while swimming.
  
  1935 was a time of grave national peril, and as soon as the song appeared it was rapidly transmitted to every part of the country. 'The March of the Volunteers' expresses the Chinese people's desire to resist foreign aggression and strengthen their nation; it conveys as well their revolutionary spirit, their staunchness in the face of violence and their willingness to lay down their lives for freedom and 1iberation.