On May 7,1912, Ma Sicong was born in Haifeng, Guangdong province.
13 Facts About Ma Sicong
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2.
Ma Sicong's father Ma Yuhang was a colleague and confidant of revolutionary figure Chen Jiongming.
3.
Ma Sicong started playing the piano when he was seven, and two years later the harmonica and the yueqin when he went to a boarding school in Guangdong.
4.
Ma Sicong spent his time in the coastal city of Berck, concentrating on the piano, and became familiar with many composers, with Claude Debussy being his most favorite.
5.
Ma Sicong gave concerts in Chinese cities including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Nanjing.
6.
Ma Sicong met Chinese novelist Lu Xun, who inspired him to compose the Seven classic poems.
7.
Ma Sicong sought a position at the National Conservatory of Shanghai, but was rejected.
8.
Ma Sicong wrote a large number of patriotic songs during this period, such as The Call for Freedom, Forward, Guerilla squadron hymn, Defend south China Wang Fah Gong, and From death comes eternal life.
9.
Ma Sicong wrote the incidental music to the film An Exploration of Tibet.
10.
Ma Sicong returned to Guangdong to resume teaching at Sun Yat-sen University, and published articles in academic musical journals.
11.
Ma Sicong collaborated with poet Jin Fan, and composed the grand chorus Motherland.
12.
Ma Sicong's Nostalgia became his most famous work, renamed as The East is Red, a propaganda piece glorifying both Mao Zedong and Communism.
13.
Ma Sicong continued his compositions of Chinese patriotic music in the US, and he seldom discussed his experience during the Cultural Revolution in public.