On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of Nie Er’s birth and the 117th anniversary of Xian Xinghai’s birth, the exhibition Twin Stars Shining upon China — The Revolutionary Journeys of Musicians Nie Er and Xian Xinghai was officially launched on 2 April 2022 at the Guangzhou Lu Xu Museum. Under the guidance of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province (Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration) and the Yuxi Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the exhibition was jointly presented by the Guangdong Museum (Guangzhou Lu Xun Museum), the Yuxi Museum, and the Panyu Museum, and organized by the Guangdong Mobile Museum, running until May 30, 2022.
Nie Er’s March of the Volunteers expresses, in soaring and impassioned melodies, the Chinese people’s profound indignation at imperialist aggression and their indomitable spirit of resistance. It embodies the heroic resolve of the great Chinese nation—brave, resilient, and united in confronting foreign invasion—and later became the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China. Xian Xinghai’s representative work, the Yellow River Cantata, is grand and magnificent, powerful and resonant. Set against the backdrop of the Yellow River, the cradle of the Chinese nation, it passionately praises the unyielding will of the Chinese people and their unwavering faith in defending their homeland. The work enjoys immense and enduring influence both in China and abroad. Through their tireless creative efforts and monumental works, the two musicians fulfilled their original aspiration and mission: to strive for the happiness of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In 2009, Nie Er and Xian Xinghai were named among the “100 heroic model figures with outstanding contribution to the founding of People's Republic of China.”
To better tell the stories of the Communist Party of China—stories of revolution and of heroes—and to promote integrated, mutually beneficial cultural and tourism exchange between the two regions, the Guangdong Mobile Museum, together with the Yuxi Museum and Panyu Museum, jointly curated this exhibition. It not only retraces the revolutionary paths of the two people’s musicians, but also serves as a reminder to remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind, letting the uplifting melodies of revolutionary music resonate along the course of national rejuvenation.
Drawing extensively on "red music" resources, the exhibition presents around 160 objects or audiovisual materials—photographs, archival documents, and more—showcasing the revolutionary journeys of Nie Er and Xian Xinghai. Under the Party’s care and guidance, both musicians grew from democratic progressives into staunch communist fighters. After its presentation at the Guangzhou Lu Xun Museum, the exhibition continued to tour the Yuxi Museum in Yunnan Province, the Museum of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as 20 museums in Guangdong Province, including the Yuexiu Museum of Guangzhou, Dongyuan Museum, Dianbai Museum of Maoming, Luoding Museum, Jieyang Museum, and Yangchun Museum.
Nie Er and Xian Xinghai stand as iconic figures of China’s left-wing music movement. By giving full play to red music resources and narrating the Party’s stories, revolutionary stories, and heroic stories, the exhibition serves as an education base for revolutionary traditions, patriotism, and the moral cultivation of young people. It aims to guide the younger generation to embrace "red ideals", strengthen "red foundations", and carry forward "red memories" from an early age—this, too, is a core purpose of the exhibition.
Highlights of the Exhibition
