He Tongjian, also known as Xiao He (February 1918 – 8 September 2010), was a Chinese composer from Shangrao, Jiangxi, and a lifetime honorary medal winner of the first Chinese Music Golden Bell Award. He is most notable for composing the melody of the Guinea-Bissauan national anthem, " Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada".

Biography

Xiao He was born in February 1918 in the city of Shangrao in Jiangxi, a province in Southern China. He started his apprenticeship at the age of 14. He took part in the Anti-Japanese Movement in February 1938, joined the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

and the Chinese Communist Party the following year, and enlisted in the New Fourth Army in February 1940. He has successively served as an officer in the Literature and Art Department of the Ministry of Culture, a composer on the Art Troupe of the Political Department, the director of the Academic Affairs Office of the

PLA Academy of Art The Military and Cultural Institute of National Defense University, People's Liberation Army (), previously the People's Liberation Army Academy of Art (, colloquially known as Junyi 军艺), is an academic institute of the PLA National Defense ...

, director of cadre training, and the second and third directors of the

Chinese Musicians' Association The Chinese Musicians Association (; abbreviated CMA) is China's largest and most important musical organization. It was established in July 1949 by the Chinese Communist Party and, as of 2020, has more than 15,600 individual members. According ...

. He fell ill and died on 8 September 2010 at the age of 92.

Notable works

Some of his most notable compositions include "Luo Binghui The Shooter" (罗炳辉射击手), "Three Toasts to Relatives" (三杯美酒敬亲人), "Song of the Exploration Team" (勘探队之歌), and "The Great Country and the Great Party" (伟大的国家伟大的党).

National Anthem of Guinea-Bissau

In 1963, a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China and listed to music composed by Xiao He. Anti-colonial political leader Amílcar Cabral asked Xiao to compose a piece that would inspire his people in their struggle for independence. Set to a 1963 poem by Cabral, the melody of his composition was adopted by the

African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ( pt, Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde, PAIGC) is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. Originally formed to peacefully campaign for independence from ...

(PAIGC) as the national anthem of Guinea-Bissau and

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

upon their joint independence from Portugal in 1974, titled " Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada" (This is Our Most Beloved Homeland). In the 1990s, after the PAIGC allowed multi-party rule, it was decided that Cape Verde should adopt its own national symbols, including a

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

and anthem. A new anthem, " Cântico da Liberdade", was adopted for Cape Verde in 1996.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiao, He 1918 births 2010 deaths People from Shangrao Chinese communists Chinese composers Chinese male composers 20th-century Chinese musicians 20th-century male musicians National anthem writers