Nie Er
The film includes four dubbed songs that are pre-recorded, then played on the spot during screenings. The theme song, "Song of the Great Road" (大路歌) is composed by Nie Er, with lyrics by Sun Yu; however, it is not an entirely new song as it is an adaptation of a Hollywood version of a Russian folk song in "The Volga Boatman". Aside from expressing the tramps of the road builders, they believe the song should emphasize more on the vigorous spirit of the fight for freedom and liberation of the contemporary youth with a heavy responsibility.[""] The theme song is repeated multiple times throughout the film as a transition between scenes of road construction. At the end of the film, “Song of the Great Road” reemerges as the dead workers are brought back to life as joyful and lively spectral beings.