"Ode to the Motherland"
Song
Written1950
GenreMarch
Composer(s)Wang Shen

"Ode to the Motherland"[1] (simplified Chinese: 歌唱祖国; traditional Chinese: 歌唱祖國; pinyin: Gēchàng Zǔguó) is a patriotic song of the People's Republic of China, written and music composed by Wang Shen[2] (王莘; Wáng Shēn; 26 October 1918–October 15, 2007) during the period immediately after the founding of the People's Republic of China (1949–1951). It is sometimes honoured as "the second national anthem" of the PRC.[3] The song was performed in the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2019 Military World Games, the 2022 Winter Olympics (during China's entry at the Parade of Nations) and the 2021 Summer Universiade.

During the Cultural Revolution, its name was Ode to the Socialist Motherland and the lyrics heavily referenced communism and praise of Mao Zedong.

It is the opening music of the radio programmes News and Newspapers Summary (新闻和报纸摘要) and National Network News (全国新闻联播) on China National Radio.[3] Also, it is the closing music of some of CNR's radio channels.

Origin

Wang Shen, a musician from the nearby city of Tianjin, started writing this song in late September 1950, shortly after he saw the sea of fluttering Five Star Red Flags at Tiananmen Square during the preparation period for the first National Day of the People's Republic of China, which was to be held on 1 October that year. The song had become very popular firstly in Tianjin, then spreading to Beijing. The song's lyrics and its music composition were officially published on 15 September 1951 in the People's Daily, being promoted widely by the Ministry of Culture of China in time for the National Day festivities.[4]

See also


References

  1. ↑ "President Hu watches grand show marking 10th anniversary of HK's return". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2009-05-09. The song's Name in English - "Ode to the Motherland" - translated by Xinhua.
  2. ↑ "Wang Shen's Masterpiece "Ode to the Motherland"". english.cri.cn. China Media Group. 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  3. 1 2 它被称为“第二国歌”——《歌唱祖国》. 中广网. 2009-04-24.
  4. ↑ 人民音乐家王莘与《歌唱祖国》(图). Beijing Daily. 2010-09-06.
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