You know, there’s this line from the song "Love Me, China" that goes "Fifty-six constellations, fifty-six flowers." But here’s the kicker, the correct word is "constellations," not "ethnic groups" like most people think.
The song’s background is pretty cool. "Love Me, China" was penned by Qiao Yu and composed by Xu Peidong. It’s a song that screams unity and love for our country. The original lyrics go something like this: "Love me, China, love me, China, sairo-sairo… hey, fifty-six constellations, fifty-six flowers, fifty-six brothers and sisters are one family, fifty-six languages, merged into one sentence, love me, China…"
Now, I know "fifty-six ethnic groups, fifty-six flowers" sounds more familiar and catchy, but that’s actually from another song or a misquote of "Love Me, China," not the actual lyrics.
So, why do so many people sing "ethnic groups" instead of "constellations"? Well, there could be a few reasons. For one, "fifty-six ethnic groups" resonates more with people’s understanding of China since it’s common knowledge that China has fifty-six ethnic groups.
During the song’s circulation, it’s possible that "constellations" was miscommunicated or misunderstood as "ethnic groups" due to oral transmission errors.
But fear not, we have evidence to prove that the original lyrics were indeed "constellations," not "ethnic groups." Let’s take a look at some examples:
The song’s creative background: "Love Me, China" was composed for the Fourth National Minority Games held in 1991, and the original lyrics were "fifty-six constellations."
Music MTV and publications: In the MTVs sung by Wei Wei and Song Zuying, as well as in the "Happy Singing: Collection of Chinese and Foreign Young People’s Songs" published by Beijing Kaiping Publishing House in 1992, the lyrics were also "fifty-six constellations."
Textbooks: Whether it’s music textbooks, history textbooks, or textbooks on ideological and moral education, they all print "constellations."
So, while "fifty-six ethnic groups" may resonate more with people, the correct lyrics are indeed "fifty-six constellations." Just something to ponder the next time you sing along to this iconic tune.
