Lü Ji

Who was Lü Ji?

Lü Ji, originally named Lü Zhanqing, was a Chinese composer during the early 20th century. He was also a writer on music, a music educator, and administrator.

He was born in Xiangtan, Hunan in 1909 and became interested in music from an early age, learning to play several traditional instruments. He graduated from Changsha Chang Jun Secondary School in Changsha, and studied music at the Shanghai Music Training School. In 1931 or 1932 he joined the Leftist Dramatic League in Shanghai, and he joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1935. He became one of the most active composers of revolutionary Chinese music during the 1930s.

In a 1936 article entitled "Zhongguo xin yinyue", he set out his philosophy about revolutionary music:

After the Chinese Revolution in 1949, he was appointed vice president of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

His best-known compositions include "Goddess of Freedom", "New September 18 Tune", 保衛馬德進而, “School Song of the Anti-Japanese Military and Politics University", "Going to the Front-lines after Graduation", "Railroad Workers' Song", and the choral work "Nirvana of the Phoenix".