National Symbols: National Anthem

"Yìyǒngjūn Jìnxíngqǔ" ("March of the Volunteers")

Date of Adoption: 1949; 2004

Music by: Nie Er

Lyrics by: Tian Han

The lyrics of China's national anthem, "March of the Volunteers," were written by Tian Han, a distinguished playwright and poet. Popular lore is that Tian wrote the song on a tobacco paper in 1935 while imprisoned in a Kuomintang jail, and his original lyrics are still in use today. The Nie Er musical composition that accompanies the lyrics resembles a march and rallying cry. Nie's music was first performed as part of a play in Shanghai in 1934.

In 1949, the Communist Party of China decided to choose an official national anthem for the soon-to-be declared People's Republic of China, and "March of the Volunteers" was selected from the 6,926 entries. However, it was forbidden to be sung as the national anthem during the Cultural Revolution, and, as a result, "The East Is Red" was temporarily used as the unofficial national anthem. The National People's Congress restored "March of the Volunteers" in 1978.

The song starts with a rousing "Arise! All who refuse to be slaves!" and ends with repeated exhortations to "March on!" From 1978–1982 certain phrases were added, including repeated mention of Mao Zedong and the words "The great Communist Party leads us in continuing the Long March, millions with but one heart toward a Communist tomorrow." These new lyrics, however, caused much confusion and were never officially adopted. In 2004, an amendment was added to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China making the original "March of the Volunteers" the country's official national anthem.

Chinese Lyrics

Transliteration

Qǐlai! Bùyuàn zuò núlì de rénmen!
Bǎ wǒmen de xuèròu, zhúchéng wǒmen xīn de chángchéng!
Zhōnghuá mínzú dàoliao zuì wēixiǎn de shíhou.
Měi ge rén bèipòzhe fāchū zuìhòu de hǒushēng.
Qǐlai! Qǐlai! Qǐlai!
Wǒmen wànzhòngyīxīn,
Màozhe dírén de pàohuǒ, qiánjìn!
Màozhe dírén de pàohuǒ, qiánjìn!
Qiánjìn! Qiánjìn! Jìn!

English Translation

Arise! All who refuse to be slaves!
Let our flesh and blood become our new Great Wall!
As the Chinese nation faces its greatest peril,
All forcefully expend their last cries.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Our million hearts beat as one,
Brave the enemy's fire, March on!
Brave the enemy's fire, March on!
March on! March on! On!