Lyrics Yan Fu Relinquished 12 February 1912 | Adopted 4 October 1911 | |
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The Cup of Solid Gold (simplified Chinese: 巩金瓯; traditional Chinese: 鞏金甌; pinyin: Gǒng Jīn'ōu; Wade–Giles: Kung3 Chin1-ou1, IPA: [kʊ̀ŋ tɕín.óu]) was the first official national anthem of China. It was created during the Qing dynasty in 1911 and was used until 1912, the date of the establishment of the Republic of China.
Contents
History
The melody was composed by Pu Tong (溥侗), a high-ranking officer of the Imperial Guard. The lyrics, in Classical Chinese, were penned by Yan Fu, commander of the Qing Navy. Guo Cengxin (郭曾炘), Master of Ceremonies, made some minor adjustments and arranged the music. Gong Jin'ou was adopted by the Qing government on the 13th Day and 8th Month of the 3rd Year of the Xuantong Emperor's reign (October 4, 1911). However, the Wuchang Uprising occurred only six days later, effectively leading to the end of the Qing dynasty with the declaration of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912 and the abdication of the emperor on February 12, 1912. As a result, the anthem never gained any notability. Since it praises the Qing dynasty specifically, it is also a royal anthem.