At 10 a.m. on China’s National Day, Oct.1, “March of the Volunteers” will ring out from television and radio sets around the country as media have been told to simultaneously broadcast the national anthem.

China’s media regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), requested central and local broadcasters, including China Central Television (CCTV) and China National Radio, to broadcast the country’s anthem on their main channels during all important holidays, according to a notice Friday. Apart from Oct. 1, other such occasions include Labor Day on May 1, and memorial days, it said.

The notice follows China’s National Anthem Law, which was passed on Sept. 1, will go into effect Oct. 1, and regulates the circumstances under which the song can be played. The new law stipulates that primary and middle school pupils must learn about the song, its history, and how it should be sung. The law bans the song from being used in advertising, or played on “inappropriate” occasions, such as funerals. Anyone who mocks or disparages the anthem faces up to 15 days of detention.

China passed similar laws for its national flag and national emblem in 1990 and 1991, respectively.

“March of the Volunteers” was written in the 1930s and officially designated China’s national anthem in 1982. It was included in the country’s constitution in 2004. CCTV 1 broadcasts the anthem every morning before its 6 a.m. news.

SAPPRFT also told broadcasters on Friday to adjust their programming before and after the song’s timeslot so as to “safeguard the dignity of the national anthem.”

The notice added that print media and radio and TV stations should disseminate information about “March of the Volunteers” in a variety of forms so as to encourage the public to “sing the anthem and love the anthem,” and to “promote patriotism.”

Editor: Kevin Schoenmakers.

(Header image: Students wave miniature Chinese national flags druing a flag-raising ceremony at a school in Baoji, Shaanxi province, Sept. 3, 2015. Summer/VCG)