It is not the first time China has used rap music to attract young recruits. A new recruiting video aimed at Chinese millennials raised on pop tunes and video games features a rap-rock soundtrack with lyrics such as “just waiting for the order to kill, kill, kill” and “war can break out at any time, are you ready?”
The recruiting videos were efforts by the PLA to attract well-qualified young recruits looking for adventure, but who might otherwise be drawn by the private sector, according to South China Morning Post newspaper.
This song is the soundtrack to the television show consisting of nine episodes called “Marx deserves trust.” The show is based on the founder of the Marxist doctrine, Karl Marx. It will be shown on local television in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The program's authors hope that after watching this show many young Chinese will want to read works of Marx.
The video for the song has already been distributed over the Chinese Internet. The composition titled “Marx belongs to the 90’s” has the text both in English and Chinese languages and it is performed by young boys and girls.
The text to the song goes: “I first learned about him (Marx) during a political science lesson, I learned his theory to take my exam. I will clear exam and will no longer read it, but then I found out that it was not revolting at all… One day I will know how cool he is.”
In October of last year, China made a video about its next five-year plan. The video featured, among other things, an image of what looks like Chinese President Xi Jinping dressed up as David Bowie.
The nation’s five-year plan was called “the shisanwu” and it was featured in a sing-song manner throughout the video. The video was apparently a big hit overseas as was seen by the comments posted on social networks.
“Why did I listen to this song before bed?” asked one user, adding that foreign media is also calling the song a hit.
Another user said, “China’s international image has again blown the world away with its adorableness.”
Overall it seems clear that China is trying to reach out to the smartphone generation. In December of the same year, State-run CCTV released a cartoon rap to mark the second anniversary of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, a high-powered committee founded and headed by President Xi Jinping.
The cartoon demonstrated the group’s long list of achievements, ranging from market-oriented reforms and anti-graft campaign to the yuan’s acceptance in the International Monetary Fund and efforts to fight smog, South China Morning Post wrote.
“The group is two years old; it has done quite a lot. Tigers, flies, big foxes, CATCH CATCH CATCH CATCH!” the song goes.
The line is followed by a sound bite from Xi urging: “All corruption must be punished. Every corrupt official must be prosecuted.”
