Tian Han
Composed during the Japanese invasion of China, its lyrics were written as a dramatic poem by the poet and playwright, Tian Han in 1934 and set to music by Nie Er from Yunnan Province the next year for the film "Children of Troubled Times". It was adopted as the PRC's provisional anthem in 1949 in place of the "Three Principles of the People" of the Republic of China and the Communist "Internationale". When Tian Han was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, the song was briefly and unofficially replaced by "The East Is Red", reinstated but played without words, then played with altered words. Restored to its original version, the "March of the Volunteers" was raised to official status in 1982, adopted by Hong Kong and Macau upon their transfer to China in 1997 and 1999, respectively, and included in the Chinese Constitution's Article 136 in 2004 (Article 141 in 2018).