"Glory to Hong Kong" () is a protest anthem that was composed and written by a musician under the pseudonym "Thomas dgx yhl", with the contribution of a group of Hongkonger netizens from the online forum LIHKG during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. It was initially written in Cantonese and was eventually developed into various language versions starting with English.
Since widespread protests to the extradition bill in Hong Kong erupted in early June 2019, songs such as "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Misérables have been sung by protesters as their anthems. "Glory to Hong Kong", according to the composer, was created "to boost protesters' morale and unite people". Since the song's publication, it has been sung at most demonstrations. There are also numerous versions in English and other languages.
Using the search term "the national anthem of Hong Kong" on Google had frequently returned "Glory to Hong Kong" as the top search result, leading to the song being used in several international competitions. In response, Hong Kong authorities have accused the song of promoting subversion and banned it under the national security law, which defines acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, and is punishable with life imprisonment.
Background Thomas, a music composer and Cantonese-language lyricist, first posted an instrumental version of "Glory to Hong Kong" and its lyrics on 26 August 2019 to LIHKG, an online forum where pro-democracy Hongkongers exchange views. After receiving suggestions from the forum users, he modified the lyrics, including the incorporation of the phrase "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times" (), a motto at the protests. The song's music video, comprising scenes from demonstrations, was uploaded to YouTube on 31 August 2019. The song went viral within a few days across various social media, followed by the emergence of versions in English and other languages. An orchestral music video with SATB chorus was uploaded to YouTube on 11 September 2019, reaching 1.5 million views within a week. Hong Kong protesters previously sung "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord" as protest anthems, before adopting "Glory to Hong Kong" as their main anthem.
In an interview with Time magazine, the author-composer said: "Music is a tool for unity, I really felt like we needed a song to unite us and boost our morale. The message to listeners is that despite the unhappiness and uncertainty of our time, Hong Kong people will not surrender." In an interview with Stand News, the composer explained his motivation to compose a new protest song for Hong Kong in place of songs commonly sung during protests such as "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies" and "Glory Days", two songs by Hong Kong band Beyond, describing the songs as "not unpleasant to listen to", but that their rhythm was somewhat out of place with the atmosphere during protests. The composer said he was predominantly a pop rock artist, noting that a classical-style production like "Glory to Hong Kong" was a personal first. Inspired by "God Save the King", "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of Russia, the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" by Antonio Vivaldi, he spent two months composing the song's melody working backwards from the line "" ("I wish that glory return to Hong Kong").
The song was observed to have similar connotations to Roman Tam's "Below the Lion Rock", a Cantopop song highly regarded among Hong Kongers in association with the sense of the region's common spirit.
Origin of the title
The word "glory" () in the song title consists of the Chinese characters for honour () and brilliance (). The term has been used in poems by Li Bai and a prose by Lu Xun, in addition to being a common term used by Christians. The composer noted that he was irreligious, and described the last sentence "Glory be to Hong Kong" () as his twofold wish: that Hong Kong can regain its glory in the future, and that Hongkongers are willing to dedicate their pride and triumphs to the city.
Lyrics "Glory to Hong Kong" comprises four stanzas of lyrics in Cantonese. The author states that he prioritised the meaning of the lyrics over the rhyming of lines, and explains the meaning of each stanza as follows:
The first stanza solemnly describes the suppression and deprivation of fundamental human rights, such as democracy, liberty and justice.
The second stanza describes the anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement, where the people stand up to injustice even though blood is shed. The solemness follows that in the first stanza.
The third stanza describes the perseverance of Hong Kong people in darkness and despair. It is performed with slightly less solemn character.
The final stanza, with the most recognisable motto "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times" incorporated in the lyrics, envisages that the city will regain its glory and honour. It expresses hope for the future, ending the song with excitement.
Other languages Various versions of English lyrics have appeared online. Shek Ga-mak, a Hong Kong expatriate in Germany, released German lyrics for the song on 11 September 2019. Japanese lyrics for the song were also released by an anonymous Japanese person on 18 September 2019. Members of Action Free Hong Kong Montreal performed a French version written by netizen assuming pseudonym "Montreal Guy", which was uploaded to YouTube on 26 September 2019. Pícnic per la República released and sung a Catalan version on 24 October 2019 in front of the Chinese Consulate of Barcelona. A Taiwanese version was premiered by the indie band The Chairman during a solidarity concert in Taipei on 17 November 2019. Stefano Lodola released an Italian version in 2019 on YouTube.
Public use
The song has been sung on numerous occasions by citizens in the public all over the city. 200 people participated in a sit-in at Prince Edward station on 6 September 2019, requesting MTR to hand over footage of the attacks on passengers conducted by police on 31 August; in addition to chanting slogans, the protesters sang this anthem and "Do You Hear the People Sing?". A few hundred people sang the song together at Cityplaza on 9 September. On 10 September, Hong Kong football supporters sang the song at a match for the first time during a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Iran, booing the Chinese anthem. On the same night, the song was again publicly sung by large groups at more than a dozen shopping malls across Hong Kong at 8:31 pm, a reference to both the police attacks on 31 August and the 2014 NPCSC Decision on Hong Kong which was declared on 31 August 2014. On 11 September, around 100 people sang the song together in a memorial meeting for a suicide victim held at Ka Shing Court in Fanling. Around 500 students from 10 secondary schools in Kwun Tong District, Tseung Kwan O and Kowloon City District organised a human chain, in which they sang the song. Around 1000 people sang the song in New Town Plaza together that night, with crowds of people singing the song in other shopping malls around Hong Kong as well.
Reception Robyn Dixon and Marcus Yam of Los Angeles Times described "Glory to Hong Kong" as having "a more indigenous, electric, unifying effect" when compared to songs that were previously used at the protests. The march's Cantonese lyrics, in particular, affirms a sense of a collective cultural identity which is at the heart of the conflict. The lyrics evokes a sense of pride and belonging to Hong Kongers who struggle for identity after the 1997 handover to China. The hymn-like composition was also seen as "supremely approachable" to the populace who were accustomed to the Christian music tradition introduced by the region's British and missionary-influenced educational system.
The Chinese edition of Deutsche Welle named "Glory to Hong Kong" the "anthem" of the Hong Kong protests. The Chinese edition of Voice of America described the lyrics of the song as reflecting the heartfelt views of protestors. Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times described the song as "the military march of protesters" (), singing their anxiety towards Hong Kong's political situation, as well as an "unrelenting revolutionary spirit". Describing the song, Chinese Television System News noted that the song had "peaceful vocals coupled with scenes of bloody conflicts between Hong Kong Police and the people" and that by creating "Glory to Hong Kong", Hongkongers recorded their "history of struggling for democracy and freedom". Chow Po-chung, a professor of politics and public administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong noted that the song's melody and lyrics resonated with many people and united protesters, leading to many people developing great "attachment" to the song. Former President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong Jasper Tsang praised the song as a high-quality technical production, believing it to be produced by professional musicians. He said that the song shows that the government's efforts at promotion have been weak.
Wen Wei Po, a state-owned newspaper controlled by the Hong Kong Liaison Office, published an article on its front page on 12 September, criticising the song as the anthem for Hong Kong independence, and that the lyrics idealise violence. The title of the article, "" may be translated as "Independence song brainwashes, touting independence as the route [for Hong Kong]", though "independence" may be treated as a pun for "poison" in this context due to its Chinese pronunciation. Carmen Poon published an article in Ming Pao on 13 September entitled "The brainwashing song that trumpets Hong Kong independence" (), in which she describes the "elegant lyrics" of the song as "advocating hate", and that "seeds of violence and hatred have been sown into the brainwashing song, causing people to inadvertently dance to its baton and commit bad behaviour".
The song has been described as the unofficial anthem of Hong Kong, and some protesters stated they felt that "Glory to Hong Kong" should replace the Chinese national anthem "March of the Volunteers" as the anthem of Hong Kong; to which, the composer insisted that the song can only be a protest song: "There is no nation. How can there be a national anthem?" On the other hand, an opinion piece by Brian C. Thompson, a Chinese University of Hong Kong senior lecturer, for The Globe and Mail argues that despite only a "few" minority of the protesters are demanding for a separate state, the march is used as a thematic anthem representing the collective demands of the Hong Kong people – which are also considered "a nation [...]. A state may be home to multiple nations..." – therefore the march can still be regarded as "national" in nature.
Some critics challenge the song in terms of , considering its lyrics "clumsy" and its melodic range "too wide for most amateur singers" to which its lyrics' spoken tones are not synched.
The song has gained a huge popularity in Ukraine, as for the result of the song's name and slogan was inspired by the traditional Ukrainian slogan "Слава Україні! Героям слава!" (Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!) The Hong Kong's slogan version was also used by Ukrainian protesters in solidarity with the Hong Kong protesters.
Government response and ban
De facto ban Following the enactment of the Hong Kong national security law in 2020, the Hong Kong government initially remained unwilling to declare the entire song illegal. However, it deemed some phrases within as "separatist and subversive"particularly references to the protest chant "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times", banning them under the controversial legislation. Schools were told not to allow the song to be played or sung.Hong Kong school suspends teenager for online protest-related slogan, Financial Times, 9 September 2020