Despite their capital city having been chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games just five days ago, the people of China are not currently in the best of moods. Rather than being filled with messages of pride and anticipation, online message boards and micro-blogging sites in China are brimming with anger and negative comments following the release of an official Olympic anthem titled “The Ice and Snow Dance”, written by celebrated pianist Zhao Zhao.

It’s a powerful, stirring piece that elicits the kind of chills you’d expect from a musical tribute to the Winter Olympics. But when you hear the song for yourselves, we think you’ll understand why people are not entirely happy about it.

With its rapid economic growth and increased presence on the world stage, China has been going through something of an image change in recent years. Winning the rights to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, too, will have come as a huge boon for a county once known mostly for cheaply manufactured products and, shall we say, ‘home-made’ versions of famous brands.

Sadly, rampant and impassioned use of the word ‘plagiarism’ has already cast a pall over the Olympic celebrations in China, as composer Zhao Zhao is being roundly accused of having ripped off world-famous Disney song “Let it Go” when creating an anthem for the Games.

Here’s “Let it Go” from the 2013 hit animation, Frozen, lest your child or younger sibling hasn’t already played it a couple of times in the car or house today:

In case you wondered what that might sound like to Chinese ears, here’s the song again, this time in Mandarin Chinese:

Now, let’s take a listen to Zhao Zhao’s “The Ice and Snow Dance”, written especially for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games:

You’re probably beginning to see why the Chinese people are not exactly brimming with pride at this point.

Here’s a handful of comments posted by Chinese net users on micro-blogging site Weibo:

“That’s a perfect rip-off”

“They’re identical.”

“Did you seriously think we wouldn’t notice? Do you think we’re idiots?”

“That’s just embarrassing…”

“We won the chance to host the Olympic Games and then you go and spoil it with a rip-off?”

The artist has yet to comment on the apparent similarities between the two songs, and there is no word as to whether those in charge of the international event will commission a new anthem before 2022 eventually rolls around. Fingers crossed they do: I think most of us have had quite enough of “Let it Go” as it is – if we’re still being reminded of it seven years from now, there’s no telling what it’ll do to our sanity.

Reference: YouTube, 新浪新聞, 環球時報

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