In Time for the Olympics, a National Anthems Primer

Travel Blog  •  Julia Ross  •  08.08.08 | 8:27 AM ET

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Photo by Philip Jagenstedt via Flickr (Creative Commons).

China’s national anthem, March of the Volunteers, never fails to summon memories of my teaching experience in Shanghai several years ago, when I’d watch 1,600 grade schoolers greet each morning with a full-arm salute to their nation’s red and gold flag. I’m preparing to relive that experience many times over this month as I watch Chinese Olympians take to the podium in Beijing.

For Olympics viewers who wonder about the provenance of the world’s national anthems, NPR commentator Miles Hoffman offers a helpful musical primer, complete with audio sampler. 

Hoffman says Germany’s anthem, Das Deutschlandlied, composed by Joseph Haydn, tops the charts for musicality. But for sheer martial fervor? It’s got to be France’s La Marseillaise.

Tags: Music, Pop Culture Travel, Asia, China, News and Briefs

Julia Ross is a Washington, DC-based writer and frequent contributor to World Hum. She has lived in China and Taiwan, where she was a Fulbright scholar and Mandarin student. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Plenty and other publications. Her essay, Six Degrees of Vietnam, was shortlisted for "The Best American Travel Writing 2009."


1 Comment for In Time for the Olympics, a National Anthems Primer

thesharkguys 08.08.08 | 11:45 AM ET

Interesting!!

We’ve just posted a Top 10 Most Violent National Anthems

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