China
义勇军进行曲
Yiyongjun Jinxingqu
March of the Volunteers
1935
1949
Tian Han
Nie Er
⚔ Battle / War 🤝 Unity 💪 Resilience |
Key Facts
- 1. During the Cultural Revolution, the anthem's own lyrics were banned and replaced with an instrumental-only version because lyricist Tian Han had been declared a political enemy.
- 2. The melody is in a brisk march tempo unusual for East Asian anthems, drawing heavily from Western military band traditions rather than Chinese classical music.
- 3. At exactly 46 seconds long, it is one of the shortest national anthems in the world when performed at official tempo.
Lyrics
起来！不愿做奴隶的人们！
把我们的血肉，筑成我们新的长城！
中华民族到了最危险的时候，
每个人被迫着发出最后的吼声。
起来！起来！起来！
我们万众一心，
冒着敌人的炮火，前进！
冒着敌人的炮火，前进！
前进！前进！进！
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialOriginally written as a film theme song in 1935 during the Japanese invasion, it became the anthem of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The lyrics evoke resistance against invasion and call for national unity in times of crisis.