Notes on an Early Chinese National Anthem

Abstract

This short descriptive paper shows the early development of the Chinese National Anthem as presented abroad. The paper was extracted and improved from a self-published book by the author who had spent a lot of time in compiling facts and data about the musical legacy of a foreigner who had lived for many years in Shanghai. The paper starts off with a neglected part of an Exhibition Catalogue in 1884, which included music pieces played at a Health Exhibition held in the United Kingdom. Robert Hart, the named foreigner, as well as other foreigners were involved in this undertaking and a detailed review conducted of his correspondence and material collected by the author revealed a number of interesting facts.