Nanniwan
Nanniwan | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soldiers working in Nanniwan in 1943 | |||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 南泥湾 | ||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 南泥灣 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | south muddy bay | ||||||||
| |||||||||
"Nanniwan" is a revolutionary song written in 1943 with lyrics by communist playwright and poet He Jingzhi and music by Ma Ke.[1] It was made popular by the Chinese Communist Party and continues to be one of the most recognisable songs in the People's Republic of China.
Nanniwan is a gorge about 90 km southeast of Yan'an, Shaanxi province. In response to economic blockades by the Imperial Japanese Army and Kuomintang in 1941, the Communists set up crops production committee with Ren Bishi as its head and began experimenting with small scale agricultural development as well as poppy production in a bid to become self-sufficient. The 359th brigade of the Eighth Route Army was deployed to Nanniwan to improve productivity. In 1943 Nanniwan was heralded a success, and a propagandist song was commissioned. The lyrics, written by He Jingzhi, were set to a traditional folk melody of northern Shaanxi.
The song rose during the last years of the Second Sino-Japanese War and continued to be popular after the Communist victory in 1949. It is the signature song of the important revolutionary singer Wang Kun, and Cui Jian, widely regarded as the "father of Chinese rock," created a rock version of the song in 1987.[2] It experienced a revival during the mid-1990s along with other revolutionary songs, with the release of many re-adaptations in Guoyue compilations. In the late 20th century Nan Ni Wan was also remade into a Chinese popular Lunar New Year song entitled "Cai Yuan Gun Gun" (财源滚滚), sung by Cindy Wong (黄美诗) and Zheng Yi (郑仪) – Malaysian Chinese singers.
Cui Jian performance controversy
Cui Jian was invited to perform for an annual official TV gala in 1987 where he sang a version of the song that was distinctly different. His version removed the final stanza that hails the achievements of the 359th Brigade, changing the tone of the song to sound more like a lament. The commander of the 359th Brigade, Wang Zhen, took offense and the performance cost Cui his job – he was banned from performing and forced to perform underground.[2][3] Undeterred, Cui continued to perform Nanniwan at nearly every major performance of his following the ban.
Lyrics
Simplified chinese | Traditional chinese | Pinyin | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
花篮的花儿香 往年的南泥湾 陕北的好江南 | 花籃的花兒香 | Huālán de huā er xiāng
Shǎnběi de hǎo jiāngnán | Flowers in a basket are fragrant Nanniwan in years gone by The Jiangnan of Northern Shaanxi |
* This lyric, referring to Nanniwan as "Jiangnan", implies it is as prosperous as the extremely fertile area immediately south of the Yangtze.
References
- ^ Baranovitch, Nimrod (2003-08-01). China's New Voices: Popular Music, Ethnicity, Gender, and Politics, 1978–1997. University of California Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-0-520-93653-9.
- ^ a b Gong, Qian (2021-03-22). Remaking Red Classics in Post-Mao China: TV Drama as Popular Media. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-1-78660-926-7.
- ^ Zhang, Xudong; Dirlik, Arif (2000-10-27). Postmodernism and China. Duke University Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-8223-8022-1.
- v
- t
- e
1912–1949
- How Great is Our China!
- China Heroically Stands in the Universe
- Song of Five Races Under One Union
- Song to the Auspicious Cloud
- March of the Volunteers
- National Anthem of the Republic of China
- National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China
- 800 Heroes Song
- The Sword March
- Along the Sungari River
- The Great Wall Ballad
- Guerrillas' Song
- In the Taihang Mountains [zh]
- Marshal Training Soldier Song
- Song of the National Revolution
- Gong Xi Gong Xi
People's Republic of China
- March of the Volunteers
- Workers, Peasants and Soldiers, Unite [zh]
- The East is Red
- The Internationale
- Military Anthem of the Eighth Route Army
- Nanniwan
- Ode to the Motherland
- Song of the Military and Political University of Resistance Against Japan
- Three Rules and Eight Notices
- Unity is Strength
- Osmanthus Flowers Blooming Everywhere in August
- The Sky Above the Liberated Zone
- When Motherland Calls Upon Us
- Yellow River Cantata
- To the Rear of the Enemy
- I Love Beijing Tiananmen
- March of the People's Liberation Army
- I Love the Motherland's Blue Skies
- My Motherland
- Long Live Comrade Mao for Ten Thousand Years
- Red Star Shines
- Socialism is Good
- I Am a Soldier [zh]
- Learn from Comrade Lei Feng
- Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman
- Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China
- My Chinese Heart
- My People, My Country
- Bloodstained Glory
- Loyalty to the Country
- Story of Spring
- When That Day Comes
- Towards Revival
- I Love You, China
- On the Great Road
since 1949
- National Anthem of the Republic of China
- National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China
- Ode to the Republic of China
- The Plum Blossom
- 800 Heroes Song
- Night Raid [zh]
- Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Song
- Chiang Ching-kuo Memorial Song
- Go and Reclaim the Mainland
- Taiwan Is Good
- The Anti-Communist and Anti-Russian Aggression Song