Father of Yellow River Cantata feted

The name of Zhang Guangnian (1913-2002) may not be familiar to the average Chinese. However, The Yellow River Cantata is known to almost everyone in the country. Zhang, also known as Guang Weiran, who would have turned 100 on Nov 1, wrote the lyrics of the household cantata.

The Yellow River Cantata, probably the second most recognizable piece of music that bonds the country together (after the national anthem, March of the Volunteers), owes much to Zhang, an eminent writer, poet and literary critic.

Zhang was awed by the river's magnificence and penned the 400-line suite Ode to the Yellow River in 1939, during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). Xian Xinghai, moved by the lines that depict a majestic, roaring mother river and its heroic people, cooperated with Zhang to complete the Yellow River Cantata. It has since been adapted to a concerto, played around the globe and became part of the country's cultural identity.