Hong Kong protest songs: 2014-2019
On 26 August 2019, a file was uploaded onto LIHKG (a Hong Kong online forum similar to Reddit) by a user who called himself Thomas dgx yhl. The file contained an instrumental composition with Cantonese subtitles entitled ‘Glory to Hong Kong’. Five days later, a file of the same title was uploaded onto YouTube including images from protests conducted across Hong Kong that summer.
YouTube video ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ uploaded on 31st August 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulera9c18F0
The file developed into a song that rallied supporters of Hong Kong independence at protests across the city. It has been sung at demonstrations on the streets, in shopping malls and even as a counter-anthem to China’s ‘March of the Volunteers’ at a football match on September 10th.[1] Indeed, it has become the unofficial anthem for those who support democracy but ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ is not unique in Hong Kong’s battle against mainland China. Between 2014 and 2019, music (and specifically song) has been used as a non-violent act against the expansion of Beijing’s authority in Hong Kong. In 2014 the Umbrella Movement, named after the use of umbrellas as shields to protect protestors from the use of tear gas, was ignited by Beijing’s proposition to vet candidates for the Legislative Council elections. Protests across Hong Kong were accompanied by renditions of ‘Happy Birthday to You’ and Cantopop. In June 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations were provoked by the central government’s proposed extradition bill which would allow suspected criminals from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to be extradited to mainland China. The protests included many songs including ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ reminiscent of both the French revolution and Hong Kong’s western identity and ‘Below the Lion Rock’, the titular song from a beloved Hong Kong TV series.[2] The 2019 demonstrations, however, pivoted from non-sensical and jovial songs of 2014 to anthems of identity, perseverance, and struggle. These songs indicated a shift in the tone of Hong Kong citizens who felt their civil liberties were being eroded and a more belligerent attitude was required without resorting to actual violence. This essay will explore a selection of songs from the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 2019 protests. It will examine the individual significance of the songs as well as their collective role in the demonstrations to see how music represented the demonstrators demands and how a twenty-year-old with a pseudonym captured the spirit of a historic movement.
The Hong Kong 2019 protests inspired the performance of many songs, from hymns, musicals, pop songs and even new compositions across different genres. One 1974 hymn, ‘Sing Hallelujah’, emerged as a song performed at protests after 11th June 2019. After a public Christian prayer meeting where the hymn was sung, it was adopted by demonstrators. The hymn repeats the words ‘sing hallelujah to the Lord’ and uses a simple stepwise melody, also there is no harmony and it can be performed in canon. All these components created an easy and memorable song for the demonstrators. In Time magazine, Hillary Leung highlighted the idea that demonstrators hoped that the song would ease tensions with the police. Leung also suggested that because the song was a religious hymn it would act as a political shield as the demonstrations could be classified as religious gatherings.[3] However, this is misguided. Indeed, religious freedoms are not curbed by the central government in Hong Kong in the same way that they are in mainland China but to suggest that the police would not disband a gathering that was deemed inappropriate misconstrues the determination of Hong Kong’s authorities to dampen political unrest.
Furthermore, demonstrations began on June 9th and violence had not escalated at the time that the hymn was performed on 11th June. As a hangover from its colonial past, Christianity remains a part of Hong Kong’s identity. 24.6% of university students identify as Christian and 11% of the total population.[4] In Foreign Policy magazine, Christian Caryl highlighted the fact that the church played a prominent role in the 2014 demonstrations, supported by a former Catholic archbishop and led by activist Joshua Wong, an evangelical Christian. Hymns were an integral part of the demonstrations because Hong Kong citizens already knew them from their schooldays or weekly church attendance whilst those who did not know ‘Sing Hallelujah’ could easily memorise it. [5] Nonetheless, ‘Sing Hallelujah’ shows how hymns were used during the 2019 protests.
If one were to use the Chinese music streaming platform, QQ, during summer 2019 the album from Les Miserables would be missing one song. Copyright was cited as a reason for the omission of ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ (1980) which had re-appeared at protests after its appearance during the 2014 Umbrella Movement. A powerful piece about overthrowing the masters in nineteenth-century revolutionary France, similarities can be drawn with the sentiments of democrats in Hong Kong. The lyrics ‘a people who will not be slaves again’ nods to lack of civil liberties in mainland China that are enjoyed by those in Hong Kong whilst ‘some will live and some will fall’ illustrates the violent clashes with the police. The original 1832 uprising documented by Victor Hugo was dominated by Parisian students whilst the Hong Kong demonstrations are led by young people who want to continue ‘the right to be free’ beyond 2047.[6] At a climax in the 2019 protests, ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ was performed at demonstrations in Hong Kong airport to passengers at the departure boards to draw the attention of the international media as well as the friends and relatives of passengers travelling across the world.[7]
The success of the protests depended on pressure from an international community to China. Videoclips of a well-known musical hit would resonate with people across the world, especially in western democracies who knew the song, were already suspicious of China and would sympathise with those losing basic liberties to an authoritarian regime. ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ distilled the sentiments of demonstrators whilst linking them to western culture and providing a non-violent act of protest. Whilst western culture is part of Hong Kong’s identity, Cantonese culture remains an important feature. ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ was important for including the West in the demonstrations but the protestors also referenced culture that was unique to them in their figh
Two anthems of the demonstrations were unique to Cantonese culture. ‘Below the Lion Rock’ (1979) is the titular theme-song to a television series about the lives of Hong Kong citizens. ‘Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies’ (1993) is a Canto-rock song which commemorated the tenth anniversary of the band, Beyond, as well as the release of Nelson Mandela. It was inspired by Mandela’s pursuit of freedom and has been used across the Canton region, for example, in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. ‘Below the Lion Rock’ is considered an unofficial anthem and both songs were performed at the 2014 and 2019 demonstrations.
‘Below the Lion Rock’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmlJrCIpBZA
‘Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9J2zyXNh34
These songs point to the significance of music in nationhood and identity. Unlike ‘Sing Hallelujah’ and ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ these songs belong to Hong Kong and would not have a significant meaning for foreigners. These songs are also a subtle rejection of the mainland Mandarin dialect and reinforce Cantonese as the primary language in the city. During the 2014 Umbrella Movement, collective singing was dismissed as narcissism in lieu of political action as tension grew between music as a form of non-violent protest and entertainment.[8] ‘Below the Lion Rock’ and ‘Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies’ are indeed pop songs but their primary usage was not as political pop songs, rather they were adopted by protestors. In the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square Massacre there was an emergence of Cantopop political songs including ‘Human’s Path’ (1990) which acted as a metaphor of the tragedy in the previous year with the lyrics ‘the motherland is flooded with a sea of blood’.
The song was censored around the 30th anniversary in June 2019.[9] Indeed, pop songs might be used as a form of entertainment to relieve the tediousness of protesting for hours in the humidity of summer but that does not reduce them to just amusement. Music is a tool for collectivism and pop music is more likely to provide a recognisable tune which includes all participants. Moreover, singing ‘Below the Lion Rock’ requires an understanding of regional pop culture and language exclusive to Hong Kong, reinforcing the city’s identity on the protests. However, even entertaining songs were not enough to satisfy the musical demand of the increasing protests. Demonstrators required a song that maintained the call to arms of ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’, the hymn quality of ‘Sing Hallelujah’ and the exclusivity of Cantopop to bring them together and maintain their spirits.
By the end of August 2019, pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong had grown weary. The extradition bill had been suspended but not withdrawn despite millions of citizens including, for the first-time bankers and lawyers, taking to the streets every weekend demanding the withdrawal of the bill and universal suffrage since March. ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ reinvigorated the demonstrators mission at time after a long summer of protests which led to its adoption as an unofficial anthem. The marching style tune is reminiscent of America’s ‘Star Spangled Banner’ with the words ‘we pledge’ and ‘break now the dawn’ with similarities to Hong Kong’s previous anthem ‘God Save The Queen’ in ‘may Glory reign’ and ‘may Freedom reign’.
There are also similarities to other songs used during the protests. The harmony is indicative of the demonstrators’ familiarity with Christian hymns whilst phrases like ‘Ye who would not be slaves again’ and ‘let blood rage afield’ are clearly inspired by ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’. The use of Cantonese lyrics creates an exclusive space for Hong Kong, not just against China but also against the West. ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ collated the most powerful parts of successful anthems to emphasise the collectivism of the protests and relive people’s fatigue. Demonstrators commented that they had not understood the emotion behind foreign national anthems until they sang ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ whilst Robyn Dixon and Marcus Yam of the Los Angeles Times described it as a more ‘indigenous, electric, unifying effect’ compared to other songs performed at the protests.[10]
The success of ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ highlights the shift from the more jovial tone of the 2014 Umbrella Movement where ‘Happy Birthday to You’ was sung to defuse tension with the police or even in early summer 2019 where ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ maintained a sense of camaraderie. Its popularity is evidence of the Hong Kong’s political shift: more assertive, obvious and unyielding. ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ provides an outlet especially for young people who have rallied around the motto of the protests, ‘revolution of our times’. It belongs solely to them, their identity as Hong Kong citizens and their determined efforts to achieve universal democracy.
The fact that ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ drowned out the Chinese national anthem at the world cup qualifying match highlights music’s ability to encapsulate the spirit of a movement, to inspire and encourage. On 6th September, the Chief Executive withdrew the extradition bill, but its damage was irrevocable and Hong Kong’s catalogue of music continued to accompany protests demanding inquiries universal suffrage for the executive and legislature. Music, and specifically song, has inspired demonstrators across the world by creating an identity of community, ownership and politics which connected them to each other and their cause. The ‘Singing Revolution’ during the late 1980s serves as a reminder to the use of song to challenge governments using mass protests accompanied by singing. The Hong Kong protests acted as a singing revolution by using songs which resonated with citizens, encouraged them to demonstrate and articulated their hopes and fears for the future of their city.
[1] South China Morning Post, 2019, ‘Hong Kong fans boo Chinese national anthem’. Accessed online (04/04/2020)
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpkcGOcFHIs>
[2] There are links to these songs later in the commentary.
[3] Hillary Leung, Time, ‘A 1974 Hymn Called “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” Has Become the Anthem of the Hong Kong Protests’. Accessed online (04/04/2020) <https://time.com/5608882/sing-hallelujah-to-the-lord-protestors-hong-kong-extradition-anthem/>
[4] University of Hong Kong Grants Committee, Religious Denominations, 2016. Accessed online (04/04/2020) <https://cdcf.ugc.edu.hk/cdcf/statIndex.action?language=EN>
[5] Christian Caryl, Foreign Policy, ‘Hong Kong’s Religious Revolutionaries’. Accessed online (06/04/2020) <https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/04/hong-kongs-religious-revolutionaries/>
[6] The ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy which provides Hong Kong citizens with the freedom of assembly, freedom to vote was guaranteed by the Sino-British joint agreement (1984) for the period of 50 years after the handover in 1997.
[7] Rosie Perper, Business Insider, ‘Hong Kong Protestors sing Les Miserables’. Accessed online (03/04/2020) <https://www.businessinsider.com/video-hong-kong-protesters-sing-les-miserables-airport-protest-2019-8?r=US&IR=T>
[8] Winnie W. C. Lai, Hong Kong Studies Vol. 1, No. 1, 66, (March 2018), ‘ “Happy Birthday to You”: Music as Nonviolent Weapon in the Umbrella Movement’ (Hong Kong, 20180.
[9] Vivienne Chow, ‘China is censoring these songs 30 years after the Tiananmen Square crackdown’ Accessed online (03/04/2020)<https://qz.com/quartzy/1592225/china-censors-cantopop-songs-ahead-of-june-4-tiananmen-anniversary/>
[10] Marcus Yam, ‘World Nation Story’. Accessed online. (04/04/2020)<https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-09-13/glory-to-hong-kong-a-new-protest-anthem-moves-singers-to-tears>