National Anthem of China | Symbols of China
The “March of the Volunteers” is the official National Anthem of the People’s Republic of China. It Is Also The National Anthem of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since July 1, 1997, and The Macau Special Administrative Region since December 20, 1999. This song was written by Tian Han in 1932 and composed by Nie Er. It was adopted as a theme song in the movie Children of Troubled Times in 1935.
The song was PRC’s provisional anthem in 1949 in place of the “Three Principles of the People” of the Republic of China and the Communist “Internationale”. During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, the song was briefly and unofficially replaced by “The East Is Red”. Restored to its original version, the “March of the Volunteers” was raised to official status in 1982, adopted by Hong Kong and Macau upon their transfer to China in 1997 and 1999, respectively, and included in the Chinese Constitution’s Article 136 in 2004 (Article 141 in 2018).
Lyrics of China’s National Anthem
| Chinese: | Pinyin: | English: |
|---|---|---|
| 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！ |
Qǐlái! Búyuàn zuò núlì de rénmen!
Bǎ wǒmen de xuèròu zhùchéng wǒmen xīnde chángchéng! Zhōnghuá mínzú dàole zùi wēixiǎnde shíhòu, měigerén bèi pòzhe fāchū zùihòude hǒushēng. Qǐlái! Qǐlái! Qǐlái! Wǒmen wànzhòng yīxīn, màozhe dírén de pàohuǒ. Qiánjìn! Màozhe dírén de pàohuǒ. Qiánjìn! Qiánjìn! Qiánjìn! Jìn! |
Arise! People who don’t want to be slaves!
With our very flesh and blood, let us build our new Great Wall. When the people of China are in the most dangerous time, everyone will be forced to shout a last shout. Arise! Arise! Arise! We’re millions with one mind. Let’s brave the enemy’s gunfire. March on! Brave the enemy’s gunfire. March on! March on! March, March on! |
