Mo Li Hua

"Mo Li Hua" (Chinese: 茉莉花; pinyin: Mòlìhuā or Mòlihuā; lit. 'Jasmine Flower', also called Sinfa) is a Chinese folk song of the "xiǎodiào" ("short tune") genre, from the Jiangnan region (south of the lower Yangtze river, around Suzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou). The song is usually dated to the 18th century reign of the Qianlong Emperor (Qing dynasty), though some argue it is Ming era (pre-1644). Over time, many regional variations gained popularity in China and abroad. The song was popular in China in the 18th century, and was first published in Europe in 1804. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was frequently played across China by travelling musicians. It was also adapted as temporary national anthem by Qing officials in Europe, and became popular there. Giacomo Puccini's 1920s opera Turandot uses it as the leitmotif for the titular fairy-tale Chinese princess. The tune has been adapted and referenced in "various traditional Chinese and international music concert circuits, concerts by pop bands and solo singers, scholarly debates, new choral arrangements, and state-sponsored events as an emblem of national pride" and has been called a "significant national musical and cultural icon" of China, akin to Korea's "Arirang" and Japan's "Sakura Sakura". The song was widely used by the Chinese government in turn-of-the-century official events, but became censored after the 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests, also called the Jasmine ("Mo li hua") Revolution, which used the song as a deniable and hard-to-block way of expressing support for democracy.