At the turn of the twentieth century, students returning from abroad brought Beethoven to China. The composer's perseverance in the face of adversity and his musical genius resonated in a young nation searching for a way forward. Beethoven remained a durable part of Chinese life in the decades that followed, proving a remarkable chameleon; an icon to reformers, intellectuals, music fans and party cadres alike, playing a role in major historical events from the May Fourth Movement to the normalisation of US-China relations.