Historical Chinese anthems
national anthem of China
Historical Chinese anthems comprise a number of official and unofficial national anthems of China composed during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China.
"Chinese national anthem" may refer to:
"March of the Volunteers" of the People's Republic of China
"National Anthem of the Republic of China" of the Republic of China
"National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China", used by the ROC as Chinese Taipei since 1983
Tune of Li Zhongtang
Quasi-official
In 1896, for purposes of diplomatic missions to Western Europe and Russia, Li Hongzhang (Zhongtang being a term of respect for a vizier or prime minister) employed in political lyrics combined with classical Chinese music to create a song later known as the "Tune of Li Zhongtang" (李中堂樂).
Praise the Dragon Flag
Quasi-official
After the Department of the Army was established in 1906, Praise the Dragon Flag became the army song, and has been played at formal occasions overseas.
¹ 兆 usually means one trillion (1012), but it could mean one million (106), and should have that value here in the song for factual accuracy. See Chinese numerals for details.
Cup of Solid Gold (1911–1912)
Official
Cup of Solid Gold became the first official national anthem of the Qing Empire in less than a week when the Wuchang Uprising occurred in 1911. It lasted for about four months until the end of the empire and the establishment of the Republic of China. It is in classical Chinese.
Song of Five Races Under One Union
Provisional
After the establishment of the provisional government in Nanjing, the Ministry of Education under Cai Yuanpei asked the public for possible anthems (as well as coats of arms), and "Song of Five Races under One Union" (五旗共和歌), with lyrics by Shen Enfu (沈恩孚) and music by Shen Pengnian (沈彭年), was released as a draft in the newspaper.
How Great is Our China!
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