Military Power and Cultural Identity: Eastern Theater Command's New Year Message
China’s Eastern Theater Command released a significant music video ‘Chinese People’ on New Year’s Day 2025, showcasing military readiness while emphasizing shared cultural heritage across the Taiwan Strait through artistic expression.
The Eastern Theater Command’s release of “Chinese People” on the first day of 2025 represents a carefully orchestrated demonstration of both military capability and cultural messaging. The timing and format of this release warrant careful analysis across multiple dimensions.
The most striking aspect is the dual nature of the message. The video prominently features military personnel in a state of combat readiness, described as “prepared for battle at any moment.” This display of military preparedness is accompanied by sophisticated imagery, including what appears to be next-generation aircraft technology that has drawn international attention.
However, the cultural elements are equally significant. The song’s lyrics emphasize five thousand years of shared heritage, invoking powerful imagery of “yellow faces, black eyes” and “eight thousand miles of mountains and rivers.” This artistic choice deliberately frames the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan through a cultural and historical lens rather than purely political terms.
The video’s production demonstrates the evolution of military communications in the digital age. Rather than traditional military propaganda, it adopts contemporary media techniques to reach younger audiences. The inclusion of footage from cultural events, including performances by Hong Kong actor Andy Lau in Taipei, creates a sophisticated narrative about cultural unity.
The international response has been particularly noteworthy. U.S. media outlets, which have historically maintained certain narratives about military capabilities in the region, have found their traditional talking points challenged by recent technological developments. This has created a new dynamic in how military capabilities are discussed in international forums.
The musical composition itself warrants attention. Using traditional Chinese musical elements while employing modern production techniques, it creates a bridge between historical identity and contemporary power. The deliberate use of traditional Chinese characters in the lyrics adds another layer of cultural significance.
The Eastern Theater Command’s choice to release this video as their first message of 2025 suggests careful strategic timing. It positions military capability within a broader narrative of cultural identity and historical continuity, while simultaneously demonstrating technological advancement and combat readiness.
This sophisticated integration of hard and soft power messaging reflects an evolution in military communication strategy. Rather than simply displaying military hardware, it weaves together themes of cultural heritage, technological advancement, and military preparedness into a cohesive narrative about national identity and capability.
The global technology and defense communities' reaction to the apparent next-generation aircraft glimpsed in the video has added another dimension to its impact. This has sparked discussions about the shifting balance of military technology capabilities in the region.
Looking beyond the immediate military implications, the video represents a complex interplay of cultural diplomacy and power projection. It demonstrates how modern military messaging has evolved to operate simultaneously across multiple domains - technological, cultural, and strategic.