CHINESE LYRICS

San min chu I, wo tang so chung,
I kien min kuo, I chinta tung.
Tze erh to shih, wei min chien feng,
su yeh fei shieh, chu I shih tsung.
Shih ching shih yung, pi shing pi chung,
I hsin I teh, kuan cheh shih chung!

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION
 
"San min chu I", our aim shall be, 
To found a free land, world peace be our stand. 
Lead on comrades, vanguards ye are, 
Hold fast your aim, by sun and star,
Be earnest and brave, your country to save,
One heart, one soul, one mind, one goal!

 


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Taiwan

Words by:Tai Chuan-hsien, from a speech by Dr. Sun Yat Sen
Music by:Cheng Mao-Yun
Adopted:1930

Often called "San Min Chu I" (pronounced "San Min Joo Ee"), from the first line
of the anthem, the lyrics are taken from the text of a speech given by Dr. Sun
Yat Sen, the first president of China at the opening ceremony of the Whampoa
Military Academy. The anthem was first selected as the anthem for the entirety
of China (you can read more about its history on the China_(1930-1949) page)
when controlled by the Kuomintang. After the Kuomintang government was ousted
by the Communists in 1949, the Kuomintang government fled to the island of
Taiwan and continued their government their, 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
Flag_Raising_Song", which is used to represent Taiwan at international events
like the Olympic Games due to pressure from mainland China, 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.

Special thanks to:Paul Simon for the sheet music.

See also: Taiwan_(alternate_anthem), China_(1930-1949), China.

