national anthem of China. Name When Shouxin was young he showed signs of musical talent. He was able to imitate the voices of people he knew, and almost any sound that entered his ears. He could learn any song just by listening to it twice. Thus, people began to call him "Ears" (耳). In addition to having musically trained ears, Shouxin was able to move each of his ears independently. This earned him another nickname, "Doctor Ears". Shouxin felt that his nickname is interesting and said that "Since friends give me one more ears, I will have one more ears from now on". Later on, he changed his name to be Nie Er (聂耳). Death On July 17, 1935, he died while swimming in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan, at the age of twenty-three. He may have been en route to the Soviet Union, passing through Japan to receive training, sent by the Chinese Communist Party. Some suspect that he was killed by the Japanese, while others believe that he was killed by Chinese Nationalists, as he was in Japan to flee from them. However, because he disappeared while swimming with friends, this made the possibility of assassination difficult and highly unlikely. Evidence points to drowning as the most probable cause of death. He was found by the local rescue team the following day. According to the rescue team and the police, his body was not different from that of ordinary drowned bodies. Compositions Nie Er wrote a total of 37 pieces in his life, all in the three years before his death. A significant proportion of these songs reflected working class life and struggles. He often collaborated with lyricist Tian Han. Apart from "March of the Volunteers", his other important works include: 1932: "March" (进行曲) "Waltz" (圆舞曲) "Love of Family Union" (天伦之爱) 1933: "Miners' Song" (开矿歌) "Song of Hunger and Cold Suffering" (饥寒交迫之歌) "Song of Newsboy" (卖报歌) 1934: "Out of Studio" (走出摄影场) "A Female Star" (一个女明星) "Snow Flying" (雪飞花) "Spring Dawn on the Green Lake" (翠湖春晓), instrumental piece "Snowflakes Flutter" (雪花飞) "Dance of the Golden Snake" (金蛇狂舞), arranged from the last fast section of the Jiangnan sizhu piece "Yang Ba Qu" 阳八曲 (Yáng Bā Qǔ, "Yang Eight Tune"), also called Fan Wang Gong 梵王宫 (Fàn Wáng Gōng, "Fa as Mi") or 梵皇宫 (Fàn Huáng Gōng) "Zhaojun He Fan" (昭君和番) "Little Wild Cat" (小野猫) "Song of Making Bricks" (打砖歌) "Dock Workers' Song"