Nothing to My Name
Nothing to My Name is a song by Chinese rock musician Cui Jian, released in 1986 on the album Rock 'N' Roll on the New Long March. It is Cui’s most famous work and is seen as a landmark in Chinese rock and modern Chinese history. The song became an unofficial anthem for Chinese youth during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Musically, it blends traditional Chinese sounds with rock and features a suona solo in the main part. Cui Jian often performed very loud shows and moved away from the old revolutionary style.
Lyrically, the narrator speaks to a girl who scorns him because he has nothing. Many listeners also see it as about the dispossessed young people of the 1980s, who felt they had little freedom or opportunity amid rapid changes. Some interpret the song as a political message about the nation as well as a love song, and the lines can refer to either a person or the country.
Background notes: Western rock influenced China after the Cultural Revolution, and Cui was inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Talking Heads. Although some call it the first Xibeifeng song, Cui says it is pure rock.
The song was a big hit and helped start Chinese rock. It appeared on the 1989 album Rock 'n' Roll on the New Long March (overseas release titled Nothing to My Name). Cui performed it at Tiananmen in 1989; afterward he could only play in small venues for years.
Cui Jian is often called the Father of Chinese Rock, and Nothing to My Name is widely regarded as the biggest hit in Chinese history and the start of Chinese rock.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:28 (CET).