Published : 25/07/2025

On July 25, 1988, the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which takes charge of the overall administration of China's armed forces, decided to designate the song March of the Chinese People's Liberation Army as the military anthem of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

In 1939, poet Gong Mu (公木) and musician Zheng Lucheng (鄭律成) collaborated in Yan'an to compose the song suite Eighth Route Army Chorus, with the March of the Eighth Route Army being one of the eight songs in the suite.

After being published in a magazine, the March of the Eighth Route Army quickly spread among the military and civilians in various anti-Japanese base areas.

In August 1941, this song won the first-class music prize from the Yan'an "May 4th Youth Day" Awards Committee.

During the Liberation War period, the March of the Eighth Route Army was officially renamed the March of the People's Liberation Army, with slight modifications to the lyrics.

For several decades after 1951, the March of the People's Liberation Army underwent several official name changes until it was formally designated as the March of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1965.

The authorities stated that the lyrics of the military anthem reflect the nature, mission, revolutionary spirit, and combat style of the Chinese PLA.

The melody is majestic, resolute, and heroic, and the composition is cohesive, embodying the unstoppable and indomitable revolutionary spirit of the people's army, shaping the heroic image of the Chinese PLA as bearers of historical responsibilities and brave fighters.