On September 18, the tragic death of a 10-year-old boy from Shenzhen Japanese School after being attacked by a man with a knife on his way to school shocked the world. While Chinese people mourned and offered flowers in remembrance, they also reflected on the hate education under Communist rule. Recently, the school song of Shenzhen Japanese School has sparked resonance on Chinese social media platforms.
The school song of Shenzhen Japanese School has been circulating on Chinese social media platforms lately, with lyrics that say: “Let us smile, let us hold hands, believe in love, open the world; let us smile, be honest, call out to the future with a bright voice…”
According to a report from Kyodo News on September 26, the school song of Shenzhen Japanese School was written and composed by Japanese singer Maki Ohguro. The Japan Overseas Children’s Education Promotion Foundation stated that Ohguro visited Shenzhen when the school was founded in 2008, and after listening to the students’ opinions, she created this school song.
One of the lyrics in the school song conveys the message in Chinese: “Because we can’t see people’s hearts, we may feel lost, but we must be able to understand each other.” It urges children to “overcome differences and actively face the future.”
The report mentions that the school’s website has publicly shared an audio of children singing the school song. Some netizens on Chinese social media platforms have uploaded videos of the song along with Chinese translations of the lyrics. A female company employee in her thirties in Shenzhen, who received the video from a colleague, expressed sadness over the tragedy that befell the children of this school.
The school song is titled “Maintain Honesty” in Chinese, and the circulated Chinese translated lyrics are as follows:
In Shenzhen, lychee trees sway in the Asian sea breeze
We live in the moment, dreaming of tomorrow
The white clouds in the sky are a canvas, depicting a colorful future
The red color of the setting sun, the color of cherry blossoms
I want to be a shining person
Learning knows no bounds, but knowledge is the paint that decorates the soul
Let us smile honestly, using beautiful colors to draw a future for a group of dreamers
Gathered around the ship lights at Shekou Port
Let us smile, let us hold hands, believe in love, open the world
Let us smile, be honest, with a bright voice calling out to the future
I gather my heart, sailing towards the world
One day, we too can fly if possible
We hope to have strong, large wings to fly even higher
I am puzzled because I cannot see people’s hearts, but I believe we can understand each other
Let us smile, let us hold hands, believe in love, open the world
The lyrics of the school song deeply touched the Chinese people: “Should education emphasize the importance of honesty and smiling?” “How nice, ‘Let us smile, let us hold hands, believe in love, open the world,’ commendable.”
“The school song of Suzhou Japanese School is also very well written, I really don’t understand why extremism is being encouraged.” “Tears in my eyes, why harm innocent children? How vicious must the perpetrator and those who support them be!”
“When humanistic education meets hate education, there is no doubt who loses.” “Who turns people into ghosts, and ghosts into people.” “The timid are angry, yet they target the weaker ones with their blades!” “A friend said: Japanese people are respected wherever they go, there is a reason for that.”