The Gong Xi Gong Xi Lunar Song Has Tragic History
- VIVA/Fajar Sodiq
VIVA – The Chinese people are celebrating Chinese New Year on Sunday, January 22, 2023. Several shopping centers have also recently played the typical Gong Xi Gong Xi song. When it's heard, this song has a joyful tone and rhythm.
The lyrics also contain congratulations and good wishes for everyone. But this song wasn't originally meant to celebrate Chinese New Year. Based on the lyrics, they have mentioned the welcome of spring several times. For example, in "The warm spring breeze will awaken the earth", and "looking forward to the news of spring".
It may seem a little ambiguous, but the lyrics don't mention a single thing about Chinese New Year. People wrongly thought this song for a spring greeting because the Chinese New Year is usually referred to as the Spring Festival.
The song dates back to 1945 when China won the Second Sino-Japanese War (WW2). According to Britannica, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937 when China began a full-scale resistance to Japanese influence and expansion in its territory.
Tradisi Bersih-bersih Vihara Jelang Imlek
- VIVA/M Ali Wafa
As quoted by World of Buzz, during that period, the Nanjing Massacre took place, killing as many as 300,000 Chinese civilians and surrendering troops in just a few weeks. On top of the massacre, Japanese commander Matsui Iwane ordered the rape of tens of thousands of women.
A newspaper described the "Contest to Reduce 100 People", a brutal competition in which two Japanese soldiers challenged each other to slaughter as many people as possible. In any event, China received outside help towards the end of the war period. In addition, Japan finally surrendered on September 2, 1945, after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Although 'gong xi' means congratulations, the origin of the song, composed by Chen Gexin in 1945, was meant to celebrate the liberation of China and the defeat of Japan at the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Chen Gexin was a famous Chinese songwriter and music composer. During wartime, he was imprisoned by the Imperial Japanese Army for composing patriotic songs. After enduring all the hardships and torture, China won the war and he composed the song 'Gong Xi Gong Xi'.
Some people said in the song, Chen used a minor key as it usually represents sadness and loneliness as it was used as a memorial for the soldiers and people sacrificed in the war.
