5 favourite Chinese New Year songs, from China’s answer to All I Want For Christmas is You, by Andy Lau, to Sam Hui’s tune about the God of Fortune
- The Year of the Dragon is almost here, which means Chinese New Year songs like Joyful Years, by Adam Cheng and Liza Wang, will play around Hong Kong and beyond
- What else might we hear? A 1981 song reinterpreted by Cantopop stars including George Lam, and one written in 1945 about the Sino-Japanese war
With a little over a month to go before the Year of the Dragon arrives, it’s the time of the year when festive Lunar New Year songs are played in supermarkets and shopping malls – in a loop.
These classic tunes are as much a tradition as fireworks and nian gao (New Year cake) and, who knows, some may actually grow on you. Here are five of the all-time favourites.
1. Wishing You Happiness and Prosperity (1945）
This familiar tune was written by Chinese songwriter Chen Gexin in 1945 to celebrate China’s victory in the second Sino-Japanese war.
The lyrics tell of wartime hardships and the desire for a peaceful future. Phrases like “After so much suffering, so much pain” and “How many hearts are looking forward to the news of spring?” reinforce this theme.
As a result, later versions of the song added more drums and a faster tempo to sound more festive.
2. Joyful Years (1977)
Written and composed by Kwan Sing-yau, the original 1977 version sung by Adam Cheng Siu-chau and Liza Wang Ming-chun remains the most popular.
