Zheng Lücheng

Who is Zheng Lücheng?

Zheng Lücheng was a Korea-born Chinese composer. He is most notable for having composed the music to the Military Anthem of the People's Liberation Army, to words by Gong Mu. His wife was China's first woman ambassador Ding Xuesong.

He was born Cheong Buk'un in the South Jeolla Province of what is now South Korea in either 1914 or 1918. In 1933 at the age of 15 he moved to Nanjing in China, where he became associated with the Chinese Korean anti-Japanese movement, and then with the communists. In 1937, in Yan'an, he composed the song which was to become the military anthem. Official records show his year of birth at 1918, but it is believed he may have concealed his age to maintain cover as an agent in Nanjing. In 1945 he returned to Korea, but to North Korea where he worked as chief of the North Korean army's band and taught music at Pyongyang University. He wrote the anthem of the North Korean Army, Tumen River, East Sea Fisherman and other songs. In 1950 when the Korean War broke out Zhou Enlai - having been petitioned by Zheng's Chinese wife Ding Xuesong - personally wrote to Kim Il Sung requesting that Zheng return to work in China. Kim agreed and in 1950 Zheng took Chinese nationality.