‘Blasphemy!’ PLA band leader calls for tougher laws to protect the Chinese national anthem
Playing the “March of the Volunteers” at weddings and funerals, or singing jokey versions, is disrespectful, military musician tells newspaper
China’s national anthem should be better protected by law to stop it being performed at “inappropriate” occasions that lessen its dignity, according to a delegate attending the annual session of the national political advisory body in Beijing.
Yue Hai, a senior conductor with the Military Band of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said playing the anthem at weddings and funerals was “blasphemy”, the Huashang Bao newspaper reported.
The government has issued regulations to limit the occasions when the national anthem can be played, including weddings and funerals, but Yue said the laws needed to be further strengthened to ensure it was fully respected.
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The lyrics of the March of the Volunteers were written in 1934 and the next year the music was added for a patriotic film during the Japanese invasion. It became the national anthem in 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded.
Yue said he had heard disrespectful versions of the anthem such as the “March of the Stock Market” and the “March of the Mistresses”, but gave no further details.
The words of the “March of the Stock Market” are transcribed on a Hong Kong blogger's website, although it did not say who wrote or sang the lyrics.
“Arise, we who have not opened an account. With our money and wealth, let us invest in the stock market!” the lyrics said.
Yue also complained the public often did not treat the anthem with respect, chatting and joking while it plays.
Official surveys have suggested a substantial percentage of Chinese citizens, particularly young people, cannot sing the anthem right the way through and that only a third of university undergraduates can recite the lyrics.
The national anthem is frequently played on state-run television, often accompanied with images of the national flag.
