Deputies to China's 12th National People's Congress sing the national anthem at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xie Huanchi/PA Images. All rights reserved.Syrupy, mundane, bombast, hopeful – whatever the melody, national anthems are experiencing a comeback across Asia, as many countries are making the singing of anthems compulsory and punishing anyone who doesn’t stand ramrod straight and bellow each syllable.
The most recent sign of aggressive anthem resurgence comes from China, where the government has instituted a law punishing people with up to three years in jail for disrespecting the anthem. The law has just been extended to the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau, where it will come into full force next year.
In the Philippines last month, a man was arrested after allegedly refusing to stand for the anthem, following the approval of a bill in June that enforces fines or prison sentences for anyone who does not sing the national anthem “with fervour”, and a second offence punishable with all of the above, plus being named and shamed in a national newspaper; Russia’s Supreme Court approved a similar bill and the Indian government passed a law in 2016 ordering all cinemagoers to stand for their anthem, which has since resulted in many arrests and “vigilante” violence.
