The piece was written in a small mountain village in Shaanxi Province , with the lyrics reportedly inspired by the harsh treatment of local peasants by their landlords , and the song was used by the peasants in attempts to appeal for lowered rent . The song quickly became popular throughout Western and Northern China , and was adopted by the Chinese Communist Party as one of their most frequently used pieces both during and after the Chinese Civil War . The song remains a popular piece to this day , and has been performed at numerous significant points in Chinese history , being used during the Bao Jia Weiguo Campaign during the Korean War , during the 1998 Chinese Flood relief , and being sung at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
1998 Chinese Flood
1998 China floods
Unity is Strength