Chinese National Anthem (Orchestre national d'Île-de-France Edition)

The song was used as the theme music for the film Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm, which tells the story of China’s fight against Japanese invaders in northeast China in the 1930s, and encapsulates messages of determination and sacrifice for national liberation, as well as China’s emphasis on values such as courage, resolution and unity in the face of foreign aggression.

It therefore serves the current regime’s communist values, having been heard and officially recognised in its current form since 1982.

The break between the song’s first use in 1949, and the 1982 re-introduction was due to Mao Zedong’s rule of the country and the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, during which time the song was banned and replaced with ‘The East Is Red’ as the de facto anthem, with the old tune also being used with alternate lyrics. The ‘March of the Volunteers’ lyricist Tian Han was imprisoned by Mao.

Since being reinstated, ‘March of the Volunteers’ has been given official national anthem status, and adopted by Hong Kong and Macau upon their transfer to China in 1997 and 1999, respectively.

The national anthem has been enshrined in the Chinese Constitution since 2004. The anthem is a national symbol of China, and is played at state occasions and sporting events such as the Olympics.