Portal:China/Selected article/22

"Nothing to My Name" is the English title of a 1986 Mandarin-language rock song by Cui Jian (pictured). It is widely considered Cui's most famous and most important work, and one of the most influential songs in the history of the People's Republic of China. The song is recognized as the first rock song in China and was an unofficial anthem for Chinese youth and activists during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Both in its lyrics and instruments, the song mixes traditional Chinese styles with modern rock elements. In the lyrics, the singer addresses a girl who is scorning him because he has nothing. The song has also been interpreted as being about the dispossessed youth of the time, because it evokes a sense of disillusionment and lack of individual freedom that was common among the young generation during the 1980s.