Chinese flag history: From ancient to modern times
I'm sure you have seen the flag of the People's Republic of China. Completely red, with one big gold star accompanied by four smaller ones in the upper left corner. But do you know why it looks the way it looks? What did the Chinese flag before communism look like? And how is the Taiwanese flag related to all of this? Let's take a closer look at the evolution of China's flag.
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The most ancient flag of China
In the 1850s, the Qing dynasty ruled China and things were looking pretty grim. Great Britain wanted special trading rights in China to make money and didn't hesitate to use its military force to reach its goal. The second opium war began. However, China's lack of a national flag made it hard for the British to distinguish between Chinese military and civilian vessels. As a result, the "Yellow Dragon Flag" became the first national flag of China.
The yellow dragon flag of the Qing dynasty (Source)
Everything on this flag screams emperor. First, the color: Yellow was the color in imperial China. Only the imperial family and a few highly decorated officials were allowed to wear yellow clothes. Furthermore, only royal buildings could feature yellow colors.
Second, the dragon also symbolizes the emperor. See how it has five toes? Only emperors were allowed to use a dragon with five toes as their symbol.
The red circle in the upper left corner is a flaming pearl symbolizing wealth, luck, and wisdom, which is always nice to have, I guess.
The Chinese flag before communism
Fast forward to the early 20th century, and the Qing dynasty's rule came to an end, leading to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). After years of turmoil, the ROC adopted a flag in 1928 that was very different from the yellow dragon flag, featuring a red field with a blue sky and a white sun in the corner.
Official flag of the Republic of China (Source)
The design symbolizes the three principles of the people, as advocated by Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the ROC. The blue represents nationalism and liberty, the white stands for democracy and equality, and the red symbolizes the people's livelihood and fraternity. Furthermore, each ray of the sun symbolizes one of the twelve months and one of the twelve traditional two-hour periods in a day.
The communist flag
The story took another turn in 1949, when the Chinese civil war ended with the victory of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, KMT), leading to the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland. The flag of the PRC was officially introduced on October 1, 1949, when the PRC was founded. The design of the PRC flag was the winner of a nationwide contest with thousands of submissions.
The five-star red flag of the People's Republic of China (Source)
The red background represents the communist revolution, and the large gold star symbolizes the communist party's leadership. The four smaller stars represent the four social classes as defined by Mao Zedong: the working class, the peasantry, the urban petite bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie, all united under the Party's leadership.
Taiwan's flag
Meanwhile, the KMT government retreated to Taiwan after losing the civil war. The flag adopted by the ROC in 1928, with its blue sky, white sun, and red field, continued to be used in Taiwan. To this day, this flag represents Taiwan (officially the Republic of China), which operates as a separate entity from the PRC, although the PRC claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
Navigating the topic of Taiwan's flag is like tiptoeing through a field of diplomatic landmines. Both sides, the PRC and proponents of Taiwan's independence, simultaneously love and hate the flag.
On one side, the flag's very existence is a thorn in the PRC's side because it stands as a symbol of opposition to communism. As a result, the PRC has banned its display on the mainland, ensuring that the flag is absent from any public and official occasions there. At the same time, the PRC is not keen on Taiwan changing its flag, as that would mean a complete departure from Chinese nationalism.
A rare occasion to spot the KMT flag in mainland China is the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, where the white sun on a blue blackground is displayed on the ceiling. (Source)
Those in favor of Taiwanese independence cherish the flag for its distinct identity, setting Taiwan apart from mainland China. However, some of these same proponents find the flag problematic because it represents Chinese nationalism and the goal of Chinese unification. Furthermore, it's directly derived from the flag of the KMT, the political party that once ruled China and still plays a major role in Taiwan.
Closing thoughts
Learning a language is not just about reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It is also about diving into a whole new culture with its own history and identity, in which flags play a vital role.
Our look at the Chinese flag's history has hopefully provided you with new insights on the values and symbols that influenced the Chinese identity in recent centuries. Furthermore, the flags of the PRC and ROC tell the story of China's tumultuous 20th century, packed with revolutions, civil wars, and the complex political situation that exists between the PRC and Taiwan. Similar to the situation with simplified and traditional characters, history is still taking place right now, so let's see how things develop in the future.
Until next time, stay curious and keep learning! 🇨🇳 🤓 🇹🇼
