First selected as the anthem for the entirety of China when controlled by the Kuomintang, in 1949 the Kuomintang government was ousted by the Communists, and the government fled to the island of Taiwan and continued their government there, using the same state symbols they had on mainland China.

There is some debate as to whether it should remain the national anthem of Taiwan; some oppose it since it was composed in mainland China, while others because it was (and still remains) the party anthem of just one of Taiwan’s parties. There is a support by some to use the alternate national anthem, “The National Banner Song”, which is used to represent Taiwan at international events like the Olympic Games, but also is used locally as a song played at flag raisings.

The current Taiwanese anthem is presently banned from performance on mainland China and strongly discouraged from being performed in Hong Kong and Macao.

Special thanks to: Paul Simon for the sheet music and Keith Terrett for the music file.

See also: China (1930-1949).