Pu Tian Yue (partially found unofficial national anthem of China; 1878-1896)
Sheet music of the song.
Status: Partially Found
Pu Tian Yue (普天樂), also known as The World's Delight, is a song that is widely considered as the first national anthem of China, though was never officially adopted by the government. Pu Tian Yue was often considered the same song as Hua Zhu Ge (華祝歌) but was eventually proven to be two different songs.[1]
History
In 1878, the anthem was created by Zeng Jize, to represent China in international events, the song however was rejected by the Qing court for official adoption but was still widely recognized and played internationally till its next unofficial replacement, the "Tune of Li Zhongtang".
On the 18th of September 1914, the only known version which was recorded was made by the Victor Military Band.
Availability
The record made in 1914 is still available today, however it only contains the music of the song.
The song was mostly forgotten in China until the 1980s, when it was first mentioned by music historian Liao Fushu who lamented that the song was lost in China by that point.[2]
The lyrics of the song however, have since remained mostly lost with the only part surviving going as follows:
一統舊江山，亞細亞文明古國四千年！最可嘆：猶太、印度與波蘭，亡國恨，談之心寒......