(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-11-06 15:46

 

 

Dong Fang Hong (The East is Red)

Probably the best-known Red Song. In 1943, a farmer in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province composed a song to express his admiration of Mao Zedong. The song soon became a hit among locals. Composers in Yan'an, then the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party, made some changes to the melody and added three passages of lyrics, to shape the current East is Red. In 1966 the song was developed into a dance performance. Former premier Zhou Enlai designed the setting of the stage. Classic lines: The east is red, the sun rises. China has a Mao Zedong.