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| March of the Volunteers urges people to rise up |
The Chinese national anthem, March of the Volunteers was written by Tian Han. He was a drama activist, playwright and leader of revolutionary music and films, translator and poet.
He joined the Communist Party in 1932 and wrote numerous one-act plays and screenplays. During the Sino-Japanese War, he composed a dozen librettos for Chinese opera encouraging resistance against the Japanese.
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| Tian Han wrote the lyrics |
After 1949 Tian was president of the Beijing Experimental School of Traditional Opera, chairman of the Chinese Dramatists' Association, and vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He wrote and adapted plays and librettos like The White Snake in 1958, and a play called Xie Yaohuan, about a great dramatist from the Yuan dynasty.
However, by 1964 the play was attacked for being a veiled criticism of chairman Mao Zedong. As a result Tian was persecuted by the Gang of Four during the Cultural Revolution and died in jail. In 1979 he was posthumously rehabilitated by Beijing.
Which makes it ironic that the lyrics Tian wrote for March of the Volunteers in 1934 were adopted as the country's national anthem, that by the way is only one minute and 27 seconds long.
It is this anthem that the Chinese authorities insist everyone in Hong Kong must pay respects by standing up for it -- even if you are in wheelchair bound and singing the song. If the anthem is altered in any way, the accused if convicted could face up to three years in prison or a HK$50,000 fine.
This afternoon several pan-democrats made a valiant effort to explain to the Legislative Council why Hong Kong does not need to implement the national anthem bill. They explained that other countries asked that people respect the anthem, in the case of the United States to stand up and put their right hand across their heart, but there are no particular punishments or fines for not doing so.
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| Over 360 people were arrested today |
Others said that forcing this bill down people's throats just made the regime less palatable to the public and even worse, could the pro-establishment lawmakers face themselves in the mirror for passing this bill when hundreds of people outside around Hong Kong were being arrested for trying to protest against it?
Indeed over 360 people were arrested today, many of them young people for just expressing their opinion about the national anthem bill. All they did was shout slogans and sing Glory to Hong Kong, or just wear a T-shirt that said: "Stand with Hong Kong".
Thousands of police officers swarmed the city and pounced on anyone to them had the potential for dissent. One officer even said on a loud speaker: "Originally, if you didn't come out, nothing would happen. Stop shouting slogans, you know there is no use. I urge you to leave before you are arrested and taken to court.
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| Police were heavy handed with protesters |
But people in Hong Kong don't have a normal life now -- they are literally pondering their existence in the city.
One local journalist, Mary Hui summed up today succinctly in one of her tweets today: "What we're seeing in Hong Kong today is a vivid portrayal of a hugely paranoid state that is acutely aware of its absolute lack of legitimacy among the populace. Why else detain dozens of pedestrians at a time, & have heavily armed riot police on seemingly every other street corner?"
Perhaps the greatest irony is that March of the Volunteers' lyrics are a call to action, urging people to rise up against oppression:
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| Lots of pepper balls and pepper spray were used |
Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!
With our fresh and blood, let us build a new Great Wall!
As China faces its greatest peril
From each one the urgent call to action comes forth.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Millions of but one heart
Braving the enemies' fire! March on!
Braving the enemies' fire! March on!
March on! March on, On!
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