Americans Are Robbers
| "美国佬是强盗" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Language | Mandarin Chinese |
| English title | Americans Are Robbers |
| Genre | Children's music, revolutionary song |
"Americans Are Robbers" (Chinese: 美国佬是强盗; pinyin: měiguó lǎo shì qiángdào), also translated as "Yankees Are Robbers" or "The Americans Are Bandits", is an anti-American children's song from the People's Republic of China in the 1960s.[1][2] The full title of the song is "Down with the Imperialist American Robber King" (Chinese: 打倒美帝國主義強盜王; pinyin: dǎdǎo měi dìguó zhǔyì qiángdào wáng).[2]
History
[edit]During the second half of the 20th century, the PRC government promoted anti-American sentiment among children amid Cold War tensions and ideological differences between the People's Republic of China and the United States. According to the Economic Daily, the song was created in mainland China during the 1960s, and was commonly used in schools and in the Young Pioneers.[2] It was first performed by the Red Youth Choir of the Beijing Chongwen District Youth Center, after which similar performances and dances spread nationwide.[2] In the 1970s, following the easing of relations between China and the United States and the Sino-American rapprochement, the song gradually disappeared from public use.[2]
In early 2026, following the US attack on Venezuela in January 2026 and the US–Israeli airstrikes on Iran in February 2026, the song resurfaced on Chinese online platforms and social media.[1] It also spread internationally, with some internet users producing versions in different languages as a form of satire directed at the United States.[2]
On March 4, 2026, the official Weibo account of the embassy of Iran in China posted the song as a form of protest against the U.S. airstrikes on Iran.[1]
Lyrics
[edit]| Simplified Chinese Pinyin above characters |
English translation |
|---|---|
美国佬是强盗。 |
Americans are robbers. |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 歌词应景！伊朗驻华大使馆发中国儿歌《美国佬是强盗》 [Lyrics fitting the situation! Iranian Embassy in China posts Chinese children's song "Americans Are Robbers"]. Guancha 观察者网 (in Chinese). 2026-03-05. Archived from the original on 2026-06-14. Retrieved 2026-06-14. 3月4日，@伊朗驻华大使馆 发了一首60年代中国儿歌《美国佬是强盗》。歌词写道：“美国佬，是强盗。脸上笑嘻嘻，背后挂大刀。见了好东西，什么都想要，要不到，他就抢，霸了土地占了房，杀人放火样样干，他的野心比天大，想拖住那地球往家里搬。” [On March 4, @Iranian Embassy in China posted a 1960s Chinese children’s song titled "Americans Are Robbers".]
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chen Yanqiao (陳言喬) (2026-03-03). 「美國佬是強盜」，60年前大陸兒歌一夕暴紅全球 ["Americans Are Robbers": 60-year-old mainland Chinese children's song suddenly goes viral worldwide]. Economic Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-06-14.
