Chinese ministers join in red chorus
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China Daily, June 17, 2011
A total of 90 ministers and vice-ministers sang in a red song chorus in Beijing on Thursday to celebrate the upcoming 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The song Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China, a widely known tune in China that portrays how the Party led the people through the difficult old days and established the People's Republic of China, won warm echoes from the audience.
"It is a rare chance for 90 ministry-level officials to join a singing performance. This shows that all of them attach great importance to the Party's birthday," said Li Fangfang, a 57-year-old woman in the audience from the State Forestry Administration.
"We feel touched and encouraged by their chorus. The Party initiated our road, and we will have a stronger conviction to follow the Party," Li said.
The chorus was one of the shows among a joint performance by 93 ministries and commissions to celebrate the Party's birthday, which falls on July 1.
The choir of the Chinese Academy of Sciences sang the song Sky Road. They chose the song to memorialize their great contributions to the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway.
"The academy solved the problem of frozen earth so that the railway was able to be built on the plateau. We laid the foundation for the construction of a real sky road," said Zhang Kangsheng, the choir leader, who works in the Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences of the academy.
"As the national technology team, we sang the song to tell our inner voice of blessing to the Party and the country," Zhang said.
Actually the whole nation, from officials to common people, is carrying on a vigorous musical campaign as the Party's birthday is approaching.
Li Fangfang said that next week they will have a red song competition in the State Forestry Administration.
"The song we will sing is Today is Your Birthday, My China, which is full of our love for the country and thanksgiving for the Party," Li said.
Wang Hongxia, Li's colleague, who was born in 1954, five years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, said she is among a fortunate generation that was born in new China and grew up under the red flag.
"We sang many red songs in childhood, and they are a great power in our life. These enduring songs are different from pop music nowadays, which is transient and shallow," Wang said.
Wang said her daughter, a middle school student, is also interested in the red song singing activities at school. "She hums the music when she is at home, and the girl said she wants to know more about the history of the Communist Party after learning the songs."
Wang said the campaign of singing red songs, which inspired generations of Chinese people to struggle for the prosperity of the nation and now are encouraging cohesion of all the Party members and people all across the nation, should not stop.
