National
Flag, National Emblem and National Anthem
The
national flag of the PRC is a red rectangle emblazoned with five
stars.
The
red of the flag symbolizes revolution; the stars are yellow so
that they will stand out brightly against the red ground. The
larger star represents the CPC and the four smaller ones, the
Chinese people. This expresses the great unity of the Chinese
people under the leadership of the CPC.
The
national emblem of the PRC features Tiananmen Gate beneath the
five shining stars, encircled by ears of grain and with a cogwheel
at the bottom. The ears of grain, stars, Tiananmen and cogwheel
are gold; the field within the circle is red, as are the ribbons
festooning the bottom of the circle. These two colors traditionally
represent auspiciousness and happiness.
Tiananmen
symbolizes the unyielding spirit of the Chinese people in their
fight against imperialism and feudalism; the cogwheel and ears
of grain represent the working class and the peasantry, respectively;
the five stars, as above, stand for the great unity of the Chinese
people under the leadership of the CPC.
The
national anthem was written in 1935, with lyrics by the noted
poet Tian Han and music by the famous composer Nie Er. The lyrics
are as follows:
Arise,
ye who refuse to be slaves;
With
our very flesh and blood
Let
us build our new Great Wall!
The
peoples of China are at their most critical time,
Everybody
must roar defiance.
Arise!
Arise! Arise!
Millions
of hearts with one mind,
Brave
the enemy??s gunfire,
March
on!
Brave
the enemy??s gunfire,
March
on! March on! March on, on!
This
song, originally named March of the Volunteers, was the theme
song of the film, Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm. The film
tells the story of those who went to the front to fight the Japanese
invaders in northeast China in the 1930s, when the fate of the
nation was hanging in the balance.
Moving
and powerful, the March of the Volunteers gave voice to the Chinese
people??s determination to sacrifice themselves for national liberation,
expressing China??s admirable tradition of courage, resolution and
unity in fighting foreign aggression. It was for this reason that
the CPPCC on September 27, 1949 decided to adopt the song as the
provisional national anthem of the PRC, and the NPC on December
4, 1982 officially decided to adopt the song as the national anthem
of the PRC.
