This Day, That Year

Item from Feb 17, 1982, in China Daily: The 70th anniversary of the birth of Nie Er, composer of China's national anthem, was commemorated at a meeting in Beijing on Monday. Born in Kunming, Yunnan province, Nie drowned at the age of 23 while swimming off a beach in Japan on July 17, 1935.

During his three short years as a composer, he wrote 37 songs of great appeal to the working people and seven compositions adapted for Chinese instruments. "March of the Volunteers", which he composed in 1934, is the national anthem of the People's Republic of China ...

For the first time in China, Nie portrayed the musical image of the Chinese working class in his "Song of the Broad Road", "The Docker's Song", "New Women", "The Road Builders" and other songs.