China wants its anthem sung, but maybe not at parties

BEIJING: China is fine-tuning legislation on the proper way and place to sing its national anthem, tightening rules that already bar people from belting it out at parties, weddings and funerals.

A draft bill is being prepared because of concern that the patriotic ballad is “not universally respected and cherished”, state media reported yesterday.

“Due to a lack of legal constraints, the national anthem is casually used and sung in an unsolemn manner,” said the Xinhua news agency.

China already has laws covering the use of its national flag and national emblem but none for its anthem, ‘March of the Volunteers,’ aside from a ban on its use in advertisements.

Written in 1935 before the Communist Party took power and officially adopted in 1982, the buoyant, military-minded score calls on the Chinese people to ‘arise’ and ‘march on’ toward the establishment of a new nation.

The draft legislation will stipulate the tempo at which the song should be played, in which circumstances and moods, and the legal consequences of playing the anthem in a ‘ damaging situation’.

It follows regulations on national anthem etiquette that were announced in 2014 to “enhance the song’s role in cultivating core socialist values”.

These values are part of the ruling communist party’s ongoing ‘patriotic education’ campaign to strengthen its legitimacy – but which critics condemn as little more than brainwashing.

The ideological push has intensified since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, as the leader has stressed infusing every aspect of Chinese education with ‘ patriotic spirit’. — AFP