National Anthem Comparison
China vs Taiwan
2
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
11
11 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
China and Taiwan, both Asia nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. China's "March of the Volunteers" was written in 1935, while Taiwan's "National Anthem of the Republic of China" dates to 1924.
Both anthems share themes of Unity and Resilience. China additionally explores Battle / War, while Taiwan also touches on Hope and Identity.
The emotional tones differ: China's anthem is Fierce, while Taiwan's is Solemn.
Shared themes
China
⚔ Battle / War 🤝 Unity 💪 Resilience
Taiwan
🤝 Unity 🌅 Hope 💪 Resilience 🏛 Identity
Shared themes:
🤝 Unity 💪 Resilience
Metadata
| China | Taiwan | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1935 | 1924 |
| Adopted | 1949 | 1930 |
| Lyricist | Tian Han | Sun Yat-sen |
| Composer | Nie Er | Cheng Maoyun |
| Language | zh | zh |
| Region | East Asia | East Asia |
Lyrics Side by Side
China
义勇军进行曲
Original
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！
Translation
Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!
With our very flesh and blood let us build our new Great Wall!
The peoples of China are at their most critical time,
Everyone is forced to expel their very last cry.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Millions of hearts with one mind,
Brave the enemy's gunfire, march on!
Brave the enemy's gunfire, march on!
March on! March on! On!
Taiwan
中華民國國歌
Original
三民主義，吾黨所宗，
以建民國，以進大同。
咨爾多士，為民前鋋，
夽夜匡勤，主義是從。
矢勤矢勇，必信必忠，
一心一德，貫徹始終。
Translation
The Three Principles of the People,
The foundation of our party.
With it we build the Republic,
With it we advance into a Commonwealth of Great Unity.
O you, stalwart followers,
For the people, be the vanguard.
Day and night be diligent,
Follow the Principles.
Be earnest and brave,
Be faithful and true.
With one heart and one virtue,
Carry on from start to finish.
Interesting facts
China
- 1. Lyricist Tian Han (1898 to 1968) wrote the words while under surveillance by the Nationalist government; he was later imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution and died in custody in Beijing in 1968.
- 2. Composer Nie Er (1912 to 1935) drowned off the coast of Fujisawa, Japan, only months after writing the music, at the age of 23, on his way to study composition in the Soviet Union.
- 3. From roughly 1966 to 1978 the anthem could be played only as an instrumental, because Tian Han's lyrics had been politically condemned; The East Is Red, a song praising Mao Zedong, served as the de facto anthem in many state ceremonies.
- 4. In March 1978 the National People's Congress replaced Tian Han's lyrics with a new text glorifying Chairman Mao and the Communist Party; the original 1935 lyrics were not officially restored until 4 December 1982.
- 5. African American singer Paul Robeson recorded the song in 1941 as 'Chee Lai!' (起来 'Arise'), in Mandarin and English, with Chinese American activist Liu Liangmo, helping to spread the melody worldwide during the Second World War.
- 6. Since the National Anthem Law of 2017, 'malicious modification' of the lyrics or melody, or use of the anthem in commercial advertising or as background music in public spaces, can carry administrative fines and, in serious cases, criminal liability under Article 299 of the Criminal Law.
Taiwan
- 1. The music was chosen through a national competition in 1928, won by Cheng Maoyun out of more than 100 entries submitted from across China
- 2. At international sporting events like the Olympics, Taiwan competes as 'Chinese Taipei' and uses the separate 'National Flag Anthem' instead, due to ongoing political disputes
- 3. The anthem began as a Kuomintang (KMT) party song before being elevated to national anthem status, one of the few cases worldwide where a party anthem became the state anthem
Listen
China
Taiwan
