From an early age he displayed an interest in music; he learned to play traditional instruments such as the dizi, erhu, sanxian, and yueqin, and became the conductor of the school's Children's Orchestra.

Prior to joining the Lianhua Film Studio in November 1932, he took part in shaping the Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe.

He also organized the Chinese Contemporary Music Research Group, which participated in the Leftist Dramatist's Union.

Nie Shouxin showed signs of musical talent from an early age; he was able to imitate the voices of people he knew and showed a talent for learning songs by ear, earning him the nickname "Ears" (耳, "Er").

[4] He may have been en route to the Soviet Union, passing through Japan to receive training, sent by the Chinese Communist Party.

[5] Nie Er wrote a total of 37 pieces in his life, all in the three years before his untimely death.

[6] Nie's "March of the Volunteers" was adopted as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China.

Nie Er Park, located on the northernmost area of Yuxi City, encompasses 100,000 square meters, and was completed in July 1987.

At the top of the mountain is a statue of Nie Er playing the violin; the pedestal of the statue bears an engraving of six words written by former member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Li Lanqing designating the area as "Nie Er Musical square" (聂耳音乐广场).

In 1981, Fujisawa, Japan, under the socialist mayor Shun Hayama (葉山峻), and Kunming became sister cities.