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Home , Almost a Revolution, And the Sun Will Shine, Billy Bragg, Revolutionary song, The Internationale

TELLING THE STORY WITH MUSIC AT By Joanna T. Pecore, Ken Schweitzer and Yang Fan

his season (spring 1999) marks the tionships uncover a history of the ten-year anniversary of the student exchange and adaptation of ideologies T protests-turned-massacre in Bei- and musical idioms. The Internationale, jing’s Tiananmen Square. While many as it was sung in Tiananmen Square in print and multimedia materials have been the spring of 1989, is inextricably linked produced to help educators teach about to the development of labor movements, the various aspects of this event, few , and around the explore its musical dimensions. Indeed, world. Exploring this history helped our the true power of music during the students learn why such a European- demonstrations can only be relayed by sounding song has become a standard in one of its participants. the musical repertoire of the average It was our good fortune to discover Chinese citizen. one such individual in our own class- Yang Fan’s story is the core of this room! Thanks to Yang Fan, we now have article and lesson. We present it in the a personal account of the power of music spirit of Clifford’s “cultural poetics.” By at Tiananmen Square. Since 1997, Fan’s focusing on a personal voice, it chal- story has offered an “insider’s view” into lenges analyses that treat history as mere The Goddess of versus chairman Mao. this devastating occurrence to more than © News Digest, a community-based free news/info service texts or objects. Fan’s voice represents one thousand undergraduates at the provided by volunteers. one of the many that “clamor for expres- University of Maryland at College Park. sion” in the shaping of history. While From the beginning of the peaceful and “It encouraged us to stand up to the Fan’s memory of what happened may rallies, music fused the will and strength- highest authority in China.” Singing The differ somewhat from the reports of oth- ened the determination of protesters. Internationale with other university stu- ers, we guard against the pitfalls of Footage shows participants strumming dents helped Fan realize that, “I was accepting one man’s story as the truth their and singing familiar tunes ready to die for the great cause.” He con- through a “specification of discourse.” together. What is less well documented, cludes, “At that instant [when the song That is, both article and lesson offer clear however, is the protesters’ plea for the superseded all sound on the Square], answers to the situational questions: Who government to “practice what they I grew up and became a man.” speaks? Who writes? When? Where? preach” through the performance of Yang Fan’s essay, “The Power of With or to whom? Under what institu- nationalistic songs. The Internationale, a The Internationale,” reveals the unde- tional and historical constraints?2 Communist , declares, “We will niable connections among music, poli- Our intent, then, is not historical clean all the unfairness and the sun will tics, and history. His personal account “accuracy” in the traditional sense of the shine on our country.”1 brought these relationships to life for our word. To tamper with a personal story Yang Fan’s account makes it diffi- students at the University of Maryland, describing such a grave event would cult for us to deny the impact of singing illustrating the wealth and breadth of both defeat the purpose of this lesson The Internationale during the spring of information contained in . By and be presumptuous. Rather, we focus 1989. He tells us, “The seriousness of the tracing the global movement of a single on the expression of personal experience song reminded us of our responsibility,” song, our lesson shows how these rela- as a means toward demonstrating the AS THE RAIN BEGAN TO POUND, THE SOUND OF The Internationale OVERTOOK THE SQUARE. THEN, ACCORDING TO YANG FAN, THE “MAGIC” HAPPENED. THE STRENGTH OF THE SINGERS SURPASSED THE FORCES OF NATURE. natural and seamless interconnections up and we were just a part of that nature began to pound, the sound of The among history, politics, and music. With in tune with what was happening.”3 Internationale overtook the Square. Then, these goals in mind, we intentionally Though stories like this one reveal according to Yang Fan, the “magic” hap- preserve Yang Fan’s actual words, how- the effects of music, they rarely explore pened. The strength of the singers sur- ever clumsy they may be at times, to a how music is able to fulfill this role. passed the forces of nature. Fan claims, native speaker of English. Insight into this process is offered “Even the rain can be ‘stop’ by our song.” Our lesson plan (which also may be by Herndon and McCleod, who draw Contributing to this “magic” was the implemented with high school students), upon the literature on ritual in Music As protesters’ previous experience with The along with Yang Fan’s original essay Culture. Noting that ritual is a common Internationale. According to Blacking, and his of the lyrics of The response to anxiety in societies through- music can only express extramusical Internationale, follows this explanatory out the world, the authors discuss the ideas when participants possess preexist- article. We have added some ideas for state of communitas. In this condition, ing associations with that music.6 There- “companion lessons” to illustrate how individuals lose direct consciousness of fore, we should not be surprised when our lesson might be expanded or used as self and move into a temporary unity Fan tells us that he first learned The an introductory activity to larger units with others. This change of conscious- Internationale in elementary school. Just focusing on various themes related to the ness may be partially attributed to the as singing united the demonstrators in 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square. highly patterned behavior that typifies Tiananmen Square in the spring of 1989, ritual. Herndon and McCleod point to singing nationalistic songs in school POLITICS, MUSIC AND both music’s role in these behaviors and facilitated a sense of collective identity The Internationale music’s commonalities with them.4 among students. In the context of a pub- AT TIANANMEN SQUARE Similarly, McNeill describes the move- lic education fostered by the Communist Music can play a variety of roles in ment of groups of people in highly Party of China, it clearly promotes col- politics, including mobilizing groups patterned ways in Keeping Together lective, grass-roots support for the of people, enculturation, and serving as in Time: Dance and Drill in Human regime: “Raise all the people, we will a tool for the expression of political History. He concludes that movement in have to solve the problem. Raise all the views. When voicing particularly revolu- unison can create a “blurring of self- people, we must take the lead.” This tionary views, this expression may be awareness and a heightening of fellow shared experience provided the people in achieved through repudiation, or hiding a feeling with all who share in a dance Tiananmen Square with a core set of controversial message behind politically or drill.”5 The role of music in dance and common beliefs that they had considered sanctioned statements. Yang Fan’s con- drill is obvious. Further, music itself may from their childhood days. A “common cise essay reveals the multiple political be viewed as rhythmic movement. denominator” of basic ideas imbedded in dimensions of The Internationale and Yang Fan describes the effect of the song helped the demonstrators to how its meaning changes through the hearing and singing The Internationale declare their views with confidence. course of time on both national and per- in Tiananmen Square. He says, “It Yet, Yang Fan indicates in his essay, sonal levels. brought few thousands of people “I did not understand its [The Interna- The ability of music to act as a together from their differences.” His tionale’s] true meaning until the spring of unifying force is widely accepted and account reveals music’s power to pro- 1989.” The context of the Tiananmen well documented. For example, the film, mote social solidarity. He traces his protests changed the meaning of The We Shall Overcome: The Song That transformation from being a single Internationale. For example, the lyrics Moved a Nation, presents the role of activist to becoming a part of a collective refer to a “New World.” Whereas the music in unifying protesters during the whole. The phases of Fan’s transforma- “New World” of Fan’s childhood was a American Labor movement of the 1940s tion parallel the alterations in the communist utopia, the “New World” of and 1950s and the American Civil Rights musical, natural, and emotional sur- the spring of 1989 was predicated upon Movement of the 1960s. Compelling roundings. Initially, the quiet singing of the ideals of the student pro-democracy reflections, like those of Jamila Jones, just a few people served as a gentle movement. Although new meaning attest to music’s part in solidifying and suggestion for others to reconsider the emerged from the song and accusations empowering communal efforts. She meaning of The Internationale. The sky of hypocrisy reached the ears of Party recalls a response to her activist group’s became overcast. As the number of leaders, the students themselves were singing of We Shall Overcome when law singers increased, so did the volume shielded from charges of subversion. In enforcement officials came to break up and force behind the song. It came to fact, nothing on the surface of the song their meeting. She says, “It unnerved represent the determination of the (i.e., lyrics, melody, rhythm) had them [the officials]. It just seemed like protesters. This determination was inten- changed. Only the interpretation of the nature came into that room. The water on sified by their refusal to take cover from song had changed. Consequently, outside and even the trees just picked an oncoming downpour. As the rain students could repudiate, or deny

31 This led another student to associate the song with a movie soundtrack. Many students agreed that the song bears resemblance to many of the Russian choral tunes selected by Hollywood music producers when making films like Red October. We continued to ask, “What else do you hear in the song? What other images come to mind?” The students returned to their observations about instrumentation. Many students associated the sounds of trumpets and drums with power. Images Students hold aloft a banner calling for “Freedom & Democracy Enlightenment” on the martyrs of trumpets and drums on the ancient monument in Tiananmen Square festooned with a great portrait of (April 19, 1989). battlefields of came to the mind © China News Digest, a community-based free news/info service provided by volunteers. of some. For others, the slow, march-like and defend, their musical critique as a The results were incredible! College pace of the music created images of a patriotic act! In fact, students passed freshmen, with little or no musical train- military parade. through police lines, and soldiers of the ing, were able to recreate and realize Because bands of the U.S. military People’s Liberation Army refrained from much of The Internationale’s history with perform our patriotic songs like The Star firing at them as a result of the variable minimal guidance. Spangled Banner and Stars and Stripes message conveyed by their singing. Our students were quick to identify Forever, the students proposed that the “voices”—a large choral group, trum- this might be an anthem. One student HISTORY, CONTEXT, AND MUSIC pets, drums, and violins—included on the suggested that it was the ’s Global Musical Connections recording. When we asked them to use . Another student cor- Clearly, the power of music is multifac- these observations to speculate about the rected him, indicating that she had eted. One of its most interesting dimen- song’s place of origin, they associated watched the Olympics many times as a sions is the ability of a single melody to this choral style and instrumentation with child, and this was not the national simultaneously express several meanings. European nations like France and Ger- anthem of the Soviet Union. In fact, both In Tiananmen Square, students who had many. They further supported their guess of these students were correct! After the accepted the pro-communist sentiments by pointing out that the lyrics were in a Bolsheviks won their , The of The Internationale as children added language other than English. Internationale became the national new meaning to the song by associating it The students soon learned that their anthem of the Soviet Union. (Note how with their pro-democracy movement. ears could in fact tell them much more meaning of the song is altered in this In fact, the students of China were than they had realized. Their associations new context. In addition to fostering not the first to reinterpret The Interna- were amazingly accurate. Indeed, The , it took on the overtone tionale. Dating back to the nineteenth Internationale’s origins are in Western of nationalism.) However, in 1943 the century, The Internationale’s origins are Europe. In 1871, Eugene Potter, a mem- Soviet Union joined efforts with the foreign to China. Indeed, the melody has ber of the Paris , wrote the Western to defeat Germany been sung and performed in a variety of lyrics to the song. Several in World War II. The country’s leaders contexts around the globe. While a song years later, the melody was added by were concerned that the song might like The Internationale has the power to Pierre Degeyter of Lille, France. The hinder cooperation among the Allied influence and affect the outcomes of song quickly gained popularity among Forces, since it was perceived as a events such as the 1989 demonstrations in the European Socialists, and by the symbolic threat to international capital- Tiananmen Square, it is also true that 1890s, it had become a symbol of the ism. At that time, the USSR dropped The these events leave their mark on the song. European labor movements. One hundred Internationale in favor of a new national A pair of sensitive and patient ears should years before the Tiananmen Square mas- anthem.8 have little trouble “hearing” the song’s sacre, European workers were singing Our students continued to support history in a recorded performance. The Internationale at their demonstra- their assertion that the music is either In the classroom, without providing tions and strikes. Furthermore, the song patriotic or nationalistic by citing the any information about The Internationale has a history in the Soviet Union. A song characteristics of a military band, but or the 1989 rallies in Tiananmen Square, of socialist revolution, The Internationale they still had no way to access the we asked our students to listen to a was later introduced to by Lenin, fact that this was a . recording of it from a collection of where it became the battle hymn of the Therefore, we gave them a new piece of Chinese conduct songs. Instead of offer- Bolshevik Revolution.7 information and read aloud the lyrics to ing a song title, a country of origin, or Just when we were about to present The Internationale. Upon hearing the any type of history, we asked them to use this history to the class, one student first few lines of the song—“Raise those their ears and describe what they heard. suggested that the song might be Russian. hungry, cold, and poor slaves. Raise the

32 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 4, Number 1 Spring 1999 poor people of the world. The blood is For Yang Fan, the story begins events. In our undergraduate course, time boiling. We will destroy the Old on April 15, 1989. When former Party limitations caused us to rely on a quick World”—the students not only identified General Secretary Hu Yaobang died of a but powerful overview of the incident the revolutionary theme of the song, but massive heart attack, students like Yang presented via video segments and Yang realized its connections to a world social- Fan gathered in Tiananmen Square to Fan’s personal story. The video, The ist revolution. The students were commemorate him. At the age of Gate of Heavenly Peace, provided our confident they had “figured it out” and eighteen, Fan was a university student students with their first glimpse of this thought the lesson was over until we whose life revolved around soccer and reality. The video’s emphasis on stark, declared that the lyrics were not Russian math. He admits to thinking very little still photographic imagery helped us to after all. about politics before this event. Fan’s demonstrate the context of Yang Fan’s We then turned their attention decision to go to the Square that day was experience with The Internationale in toward China by reading Yang Fan’s purely social. His friends convinced him the spring of 1989. Like music, these essay and showing The Gate of Hea- to take a break from his studies. When he chilling images encourage a sensory venly Peace (see Lesson Plan). Once our got to the Square, he was impressed by experience. The sparing use of narration students realized the importance of The the other students who were freely and amplified reproduction of the event’s Internationale in the lives of Yang Fan expressing their views. soundscape also served as an effective and his classmates, we explained how From the middle of April through complement to our other classroom mate- the song arrived in China. In 1923, when June, Yang Fan savored this freedom by rials: an audio recording of The Interna- China entered the world communist coming and going to Tiananmen Square tionale, the words of Yang Fan’s story, movement, Qu Qiubai translated The and surrounding areas at his leisure. He and his translation of the song’s lyrics. Internationale. It was introduced to remembers when he and his friends sat The Tragedy at Tiananmen: The China along with several other songs in front of some of the tanks that were Untold Story, also known as “The Kop- from the USSR to foster a national positioned some distance from the Square. pel Report,” offered more details about transformation to communism. Since They did not feel threatened by them. the various events leading up to the mas- then, the patriotic song has been learned While the soldiers refused to come out of sacre. In fact, throughout this video, and performed by all Chinese citizens.9 their tanks at first, Fan and his friends footage captured choruses of protesters socialized and sang together. When the singing The Internationale. For example, HISTORY, CONTEXT, AND MUSIC soldiers did come out of their tanks, they an attuned viewer can catch a portion of , Spring 1989 were friendly. The students spoke with The Internationale while students retreat The actual “beginning” of the protests them, showed them newspapers, and from the Square on June 2 and during the in Tiananmen Square during the spring explained that they were working toward official funeral of Hu Yaobang. It can of 1989 is difficult to discern. For making the country a better place for also be heard later in the video, after a teachers of world history or Asian everyone. It was hard for Fan to imagine discussion of the April 26 editorial in Studies, marking that “beginning” for that this optimism and confidence would a Beijing newspaper reprimanding stu- students will vary according to educa- lead to a violent crackdown in June. dents for their behavior. Finally, it tional objectives and time available to A number of resources offer an appears again during a report on the focus on the subject. account of the unbelievable turn of events of May 20. Unfortunately, these

Protesters come from all walks of life and all age groups as they march for freedom and democracy in the streets of Beijing (May 23, 1989). © China News Digest, a community-based free news/info service provided by volunteers.

33 Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986. lyrics written by soon after the 1989 segments are fleeting, so they do not serve Herndon, Marcia, and Norma McCleod. Music as demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. as effective examples of The Interna- Culture. Richmond, Calif.: MRI Press, 1990. asked him to perform the song at the Vancouver tionale itself. Instead, students can view Kraus, Richard Curt. and Politics in China: Folk Festival at that time. (Available through Utility Middle-Class Ambitions and the Struggle Over Records, P.O. Box 2042, Madison Square Station, them in follow-up activities in order to Western Music. New York: Oxford University Press, New York, NY 10059.) “witness” the song’s significance in Chi- 1989. nese politics. McNeill, William H. Keeping Together in Time: BOOKS Dance and Drill in Human History. Cambridge, . Photographs by David and Peter Combined with Yang Fan’s story, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995. Turnley. Text by Melinda Liu. : Asia these resources helped our students Nettl, Paul. National Anthems. Translated by 2000, 1989. experience the effect of a single song on Alexander Gode. New York: Frederick Ungar Kraus, Richard Curt. Pianos and Politics in China: Publishing Co, 1967. Middle-Class Ambitions and the Struggle Over the life of a university student not much Wong, Isabel K. F. “Geming Gequ: Songs for Western Music. New York: Oxford University different than themselves. The Interna- the Education of the Masses.” Popular Chinese Press, 1989. tionale symbolized all that was good in Literature and Performing Arts in the People’s Nettl, Paul. National Anthems. Translated by Republic of China, 1949–1979. Edited by Bonnie S. Alexander Gode. New York: Frederick Ungar Pub- China when Yang Fan was in grade McDougall. Berkeley: University of California Press, lishing Co., 1967, 130–131. school. When he sang it in Tiananmen 1967, 112–143. . Almost a Revolution: The Story of a Square, it stood for his duty to make his Chinese Student’s Journey from Boyhood to Lead- DISCOGRAPHY ership in Tiananmen Square. Boston: Houghton homeland a better place for other people (Standard) Collection of Conduct Songs. Produced Mifflin Company, 1990. by fighting for freedom and democracy. by Central Broadcasting Company, Television and SCORE Living in the , far from his Recording Division. Beijing: Beijing Culture, Arts, Music and Image Publishing Company. Distributed Trehane, Bryceson. National Anthems of the United home and family, Yang Fan associates by Guangdong Province Record Company. Record # Nations and Associated Powers. Boston: Boston The Internationale with the freedoms of Q0201. (We used the fourth track on this recording, a Music Co, c. 1943. choral version of The Internationale, in our class.) speech, religion, peaceable assembly, and VIDEO the right to petition the government. VIDEOGRAPHY Conducting Giuseppe Verdi’s Now, this expanded meaning extends The Gate of Heavenly Peace. Produced by J. B. Hymn of the Nations. Washington, DC: Library of beyond Fan’s vision for China and Pictures, Ltd., New York: Filmmakers Library, 1989 Congress, 1988 (30 minutes). As originally (10 minutes). (Filmmakers Library, 124 East 40th filmed in 1943. In cooperation with the Office of embraces his vision for the world. n Street, New York, NY 10016. Phone: 212/ War Information, Toscanini recreates his radio 808–4980.) broadcast with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. NOTES Tragedy at Tiananmen Square: The Untold Story The Internationale appears at the end of the (“The Koppel Report”). Northbrook, Ill.: Coronet, performance. Note that The Internationale was cut 1. Lyrics used in this essay are drawn from Yang 1989 (47 minutes 49 seconds). (Coronet, 420 from the film after the war until this reissue of the Fan’s translation of the Chinese lyrics. Academy Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062. Phone: film in 1988. (Library of Congress, Motion Picture, 2. James Clifford, “Introduction: Partial Truths,” 1–800/621-2131 and 708/940-1260.) Broadcasting & Recording Sound Division, Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of We Shall Overcome: The Song That Moved a Nation. Washington, DC 20540.) Ethnography. Edited by James Clifford and Produced by Jim Brown, Ginger Brown, and Harold George E. Marcus. (Berkeley: University of Leventhal. San Francisco, Calif.: California News- WORLD WIDE WEB RESOURCE California Press, 1986), 12–15. reel, 1984 (58 minutes). (California Newsreel, 149 Frontline: The Gate of Heavenly Peace. 3. Quoted from We Shall Overcome: The Song That Ninth Street/420, San Francisco, CA 94103. Phone: Http://www.nmis.org/gate. Moved a Nation. Produced by Jim Brown, 415/621-6196.) This website contains a diversity of information Ginger Brown, and Harold Leventhal. (San related to the film, The Gate of Heavenly Peace Francisco, Calif.: California Newsreel, 1984). ADDITIONAL RESOURCES used in our lesson on The Internationale. The 4. Marcia Herndon and Norma McCleod, Music as homepage leads to clips from the film, a transcript Culture (Richmond, Calif.: MRI Press, 1990), ARTICLES of the film, a photo gallery, audio clips, a look at the 124–125. Brace, Tim, and Paul Friedlander. “Rock and Roll Democracy Wall, suggestions for further reading, 5. William H. McNeill, Keeping Together in Time: on the New Long March: Popular Music, Cultural and a chronology of events related to the 1989 Dance and Drill in Human History (Cambridge, Identity, and Political Opposition in the People’s Tiananmen demonstrations. For more on music Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995), 8. Republic of China.” Rockin’ the Boat: Mass Music and the pro-democracy movement, click on 6. John Blacking, “The Value of Music in Human and Mass Movements. Edited by Reebee Garafalo. “Essay” under “Audio Clips” under “The Film” Experience,” Yearbook of the International Folk Boston: South End Press, 1992, 115–127. (http://www.nmis.org/gate/film/music.html). A Music Council (1969), 39. Lee, Joanna Ching-Yun. “All for Freedom: The transcript of ’s June 9, 1989 speech 7. Isabel K. F. Wong, “Geming Gequ: Songs for the Rise of Patriotic/Pro-Democratic Popular Music in declaring martial law is also posted on-line Education of the Masses,” Popular Chinese Hong Kong in Response to the Chinese Student (http://www.nmis.org/gate/chronology/ Deng.html). Literature and Performing Arts in the People’s Movement.” Rockin’ the Boat: Mass Music and Republic of China, 1949–1979. Edited by Mass Movements, 1992, 129–147. Bonnie S. McDougall (Berkeley: University of Wong, Isabel K. F. “Geming Gequ: Songs for the California Press, 1984), 119. Education of the Masses.” Popular Chinese Note on the source for the photos in this article 8. Paul Nettl, National Anthems. Translated by Literature and Performing Arts in the People’s Alexander Gode (New York: Frederick Ungar Republic of China, 1949–1979. Edited by Bonnie S. China News Digest International, Inc. (CDN) is a Publishing Co., 1967), 130–131. McDougall. Berkeley: University of California nonprofit organization registered in the state of 9. Richard Curt Kraus, Pianos and Politics in China: Press, 1984, 112–143. Maryland. As quoted from their web site: “CDN is Middle-Class Ambitions and the Struggle Over operated by volunteers with a mandate to provide Western Music (New York: Oxford AUDIO MATERIALS timely and balanced news coverage on China and University Press, 1989), 173. Best of Communism: Selection of Revolutionary China related affairs.” Songs. Valogatott Mozgalmi Dalok. Gong, They only give permission to redistribute their BIBLIOGRAPHY 1997. Made in Hungary. This CD includes a news articles and photos for nonprofit, educational Blacking, John. “The Value of Music in Human Hungarian version of The Internationale that purposes. Experience.” Yearbook of the International Folk was recorded in 1971. (For more information, go You will find hundreds of photos divided into Music Council, 1969, 1:33–71. to http://www.szoborpark.hu/ashop.htm.) three categories: “Massacre” series, “Demonstra- Clifford, James. “Introduction: Partial Truths.” Writ- Bragg, Billy. The Internationale. New York: tion” series (5/20/89–6/3/89) and “CSS” series ing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethno- Elektra’s Utility Records, 1990. (overseas Chinese Students and Scholars). graphy. Ed. by James Clifford and George E. Marcus. The title track of this CD includes original Site address: Http://www.cnd.org.

34 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 4, Number 1 Spring 1999 Telling the Story With Music

The Internationale at Tiananmen Square Lesson Plan 5. Show students how much information they extracted from the song We have presented this background and narrative of teaching with The by merely listening to it. Summarize the history of The Interna- Internationale for teachers. In fact, we recommend not providing this tionale. information to your students prior to asking them to listen to The Inter- 6. Tell the students you will give them another piece of information nationale. Instead, the teacher should guide students through discover- about the song. Read Yang Fan’s translation of the Chinese lyrics ing the many dimensions of The Internationale at Tiananmen Square to the class. themselves. We have repeatedly implemented the plan that follows. 7. Ask students, What is/are the message(s)? Ask students if they Students have been successful in drawing out the multiple meanings of would like to modify the list they put on the board after having The Internationale. heard the lyrics. Lesson Plan 8. Explain that you would like to introduce a particular context in OBJECTIVES which the song was “performed.” Show The Gate of Heavenly • To offer students a chance to come closer to the experience of Peace. This step makes students realize that the song is in Chinese student protesters in Tiananmen Square and explains the reason for the language. (We do not play the video • To help students discover the connections among music, poli- from the very beginning in order to have students more slowly tics, and history “enter” the context. That is, we skip the introduction that clearly • To explore the symbolic power of music and people’s roles in identifies the Tiananmen Square event. We begin at the “still” determining the meaning of those symbols 2’20” into the tape where there is a man’s face in front of a banner. Only two Chinese characters are visible.) STRATEGIES 9. Read Yang Fan’s essay to the class. • Listen to and consider one student’s memory of a song he sang with his friends in Tiananmen Square 10. Discuss: According to Yang Fan’s essay, what effect did the sound • Listen to The Internationale to explore its changing meaning of, and then joining the singing of, The Internationale have on the over time and space participants of the Tiananmen protest? • Analyze the subtleties of music’s power to persuade, mobilize, 11. Have students listen to The Internationale again. and symbolize 12. Discuss: Is there anything about the sound of the song that might have helped create this effect? MATERIALS • Audio recording of Chinese version of The Internationale 13. If time is available, expand the contextual framework by showing • English version of lyrics of The Internationale selected segments of The Tragedy at Tiananmen. • Synopsis of a history of The Internationale 14. Ask students to consider and speculate about how the surroundings (derived from Global Connections section above) of the protest (excitement, activity, weather, etc.) might have • Copy of Yang Fan’s essay impacted this effect. • Background information describing events in 15. Ask students, How do you think the police and government offi- Tiananmen Square during the spring of 1989 cials reacted to the students’ singing of The Internationale? Specu- • Video: The Gate of Heavenly Peace late about whether they may have seen it as a positive or negative • Video: Tragedy at Tiananmen: The Untold Story behavior. Explain your answer. 16. Consider the meaning of The Internationale in Yang Fan’s life. BEFORE CLASS • Write the following on the board: Discuss: What did the song symbolize for him before the Tiananmen MUSICAL SOUNDS IMAGES incident? What did the song symbolize for him during the ? What do you think the song now symbolizes for Yang Fan?

PROCEDURE “COMPANION” LESSON IDEAS 1. Ask students to take out a piece of paper. They should make two (A) SIMULATING THE DILEMMAS OF THE PROTESTERS columns just like those written on the board. 2. Tell them that they will be listening to a piece of music. As they lis- • Yang Fan identifies four issues that the students were fighting for: ten they should write down whatever thoughts and reactions come Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Peaceable to mind. (Refer to Global Connections section above.) This can be Assembly, and the Right to Petition the Government. Divide a description of the music they hear. Those notes should be written students into four groups corresponding to these issues. in the first column; for example, “string instruments,” “steady • Have each group research each of the issues in general, and pace,” etc. Remind students to pay attention to how the sound especially in terms of what the students in China were requesting. changes throughout the course of the song. They should note these • Have each group of students “decide” whether or not they “will changes as well. Thoughts and reactions that come to mind might participate” in the protests based on their research. Have them also be images. Examples include a setting that comes to mind, issue a statement to the class regarding their “decision” and clothes people are wearing in that setting, what people are doing in supporting it with their research. that setting, etc. These thoughts should be noted in the second col- • Have each student explain how he or she feels about taking part umn. in the protest. (This may or may not coincide with the reasoning 3. Play the Chinese version of The Internationale. behind their decisions.) 4. Ask students to contribute what they have written on their paper to • Tell Yang Fan’s story about joining the demonstrations. the class. Write comments on the board in the appropriate column. (See Beijing, spring 1989 section above.) Once all of the possibilities have been shared, move on to step #5. • Link to lesson on The Internationale.

35 EDITOR’S NOTE: The authors requested that the language of Yang Fan’s (B) HISTORICAL RESEARCH ON translated essay not be changed. THE TIANANMEN SQUARE INCIDENT • If schedule is flexible, instead of “filling in” the details of the Tiananmen incident with the videos recommended here, have The Power of The Internationale students research and present to the class different aspects of by Yang Fan the event themselves. I learned to sing The Internationale when I was in grade school. I have • This may be done in preparation for The Internationale lesson heard the song thousand of times as I grown up in China. However, suggested here. If so, you may like to have students hold off I did not understand its true meaning until the Spring of 1989. on their presentations until completing step #7 in the lesson I was sitting in the center if Tiananmen Square along with few plan above. thousands of Chinese students. I was proud of being part of the world • If The Internationale lesson is used to “kick-off” a unit on famous pro-democracy movement. It was my third day on the square. material related to the Tiananmen Square incident, students may The concrete floor was cold. Food was bad. I neither eat nor slept well begin this research as a “next step” in exploring the incident. in those three days. I was cold and tired. I was sitting in Beijing’s cold early morning wind, hoping that we will be able to change the (C) OTHER MUSICAL DIMENSIONS OF government. We were fighting for the freedom of speech, freedom of THE TIANANMEN INCIDENT religion, the freedom of peaceable assembly and the right to petition the • Compare and contrast different “performances” of The Interna- government. tionale and their relationship to history, politics, and context. We were exhausted. We were debating if we should stay or go (See Audio Materials in Resources section below.) home to get some rest. All of the sudden, it started to rain. Big rain drops • Explore with students the dimensions of the song used in the pounded on our face. More people leaning towards leave the square and background of the movie, The Gate of Heavenly Peace. take cover. That is when I heard someone start to sing The Interna- Information is available on the World Wide Web at tionale. It was very little and low in tone in the beginning. Soon, more http://www.nmis.org/gate/film/music.html. people started to sing along. Then the tone of The Internationale stopped • Explore with students the relationship between popular music in all other voices. It become the dominate sound on the square. It brought Hong Kong and the student demonstrations in Beijing. few thousands of young people together from their differences. We were (See article by Joanna Ching-Yun Lee in Resources section.) singing in the same rhythm. The seriousness of the song reminded us of our responsibility. It encouraged us to stand up to (D) WORLD HISTORY AND POLITICS INVESTIGATION the highest authority in China. I forgot the cold and uncomfortable • Have different groups of students research various aspects of environment. I sang along. That is when I realized what kind of Chinese political history since the spring of 1989. responsibilities I have and started to think what I can do to make the • Topics could include: country a better place for the rest of the people. I sense the importance of Follow-up on student leaders freedom and democracy. Just like many other students on the square, I Issues surrounding the death of Deng Xiaoping was ready to die for the great cause. At that instant, I grew up and become a man. Then the miracle happened. The rain stopped in the sound of The The Internationale Internationale. We won. Even the rain can be “stop” by our song. We Translation of Chinese lyrics by Yang Fan cheered for our success and welcome the appearance of the magnificent Raise those hungry, cold, and poor slaves morning light. Raise the poor people of the world. I heard The Internationale many times after that morning. It always brings up the memory. I am amazed by the significant power of the The blood is boiling. song; how it brought thousands of people together and fought for their We will destroy the Old World. belief; how it helped me grown; and even how it stopped the rain. The Let us stand up, stand up. song was very popular through out the movement. It encouraged us to Do not say we have nothing. fight for our belief. It calmed us down and gave us dignity even when We want to be the owners of the New World. tanks and bullets were taking away its singers’ lives. Let us blow the revolutionary horn. I left China one and a half month later after being shoot at by Stand up till tomorrow. Peoples Republican Army’s solder. It has been eight years since that Raise all the people, we will have to solve the problem. morning. Not even for one moment that I forgot the tone of the song. It Raise all the people, we must take the lead. helps me go through hard time and moving . It reminds me of Raise all the people, we need freedom. the importance of freedom. n There is never a person who can save us. Nor can anyone give us the light of hope. JOANNA T. PECORE is a Ph.D. student in Ethnomusicology at the If everyone wants happiness, University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on Asia We will have to fight for it ourselves. and Interdisciplinary Educational Studies. She was formerly a Program We will get our happiness and let the sun shine on us again. Associate in the Asia Society’s Education Department and received an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii, Manoa in 1994. Let us blow the horn of freedom and stand up till tomorrow. KEN SCHWEITZER is earning a doctorate in Musical Performance at Raise all the people, it will happen. the University of Maryland, College Park. He specializes in percussion, We will clean all of the unfairness and the sun will shine including the traditions of and West Africa. He received an M.M. on our country. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland, College Park in We will get our happiness and let the sun shine on us again. 1997. Let us blow the horn of freedom and stand up till tomorrow. YANG FAN is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is studying Civil Engineering at the university’s James Clark School of Engineering. He came to the United States on June 11, 1989.

36 EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA Volume 4, Number 1 Spring 1999