The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Song () was written to commemorate the

Generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus me ...

and late

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

. There are two songs: the second song was written by

Hwang Yau-tai Hwang Yau-tai () or Huang Yau-tai (January 12, 1912 – July 4, 2010) was a Chinese musician, writer and composer. He wrote over 2000 compositions, the most popular being "Azaleas," which was written in 1941 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. ...

or Huang Youdi, Huang Yu-ti (黃友棣) in 1975, who later also wrote Chiang Ching-kuo Memorial Song in 1988. The song was formerly popular for school

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

competitions as students were required to memorise it. Since the 1990s, under the presidency of

Lee Teng-hui Lee Teng-hui (; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese statesman and economist who served as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under Constitution of the Republic of China, the 1947 C ...

, it has fallen into disuse, though most of the population still knows it. The song was also played daily in the

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall () is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei. The monument, surround ...

every morning until 2017. Occasionally, it can be heard during political campaigns as well. It was also seen as one of the characteristics of Chiang's personality cult.

Official version

This was the officially adopted version of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Song written by Li Chung-he and Zhang Ling.

Initial version

The initial version was written by 秦孝儀 (Chin Hsiao-I) and 黃友棣 (Hwang Yau-tai) shortly after Chiang's death. However this version was officially replaced by the officially adopted version written by Li Chung-he (李中和) and Zhang Ling (張齡). Compared to the officially adopted version, this version was written in vernacular language and was longer in context.

Official version

Initial version

See also