View source for Flag of China

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{{pp|small=yes}}
{{About|the flag of the People's Republic of China since its creation in 1949|the flag of the Republic of China, commonly known as the flag of Taiwan|Flag of the Republic of China|other uses|Flag of China (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = People's Republic of China
| Nickname = ''Five-star Red Flag''<ref name="pla"/>
| Image = Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
| Use = 110110
| Symbol = {{FIAV|110110}}{{FIAV|normal}}{{FIAV|Mirror}}
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = {{plainlist|
* {{Start date and age|df=yes|1949|09|27}} (approved by the CPPCC)<ref name="CPC news">{{cite web |url = http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/64165/70293/70320/4861365.html |script-title = zh:1949年9月27日 中华人民共和国国旗诞生 |trans-title = 27 September 1949: The Birth of PRC's Flag |website = CPC News |access-date = 4 November 2009 |language = zh-Hans |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311081440/http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/64165/70293/70320/4861365.html |archive-date= Mar 11, 2012 }}</ref>
* {{Start date and age|df=yes|1949|10|01}} (introduced)
}}
| Designer = [[Zeng Liansong]]
| Design = A large golden star within an arc of four smaller golden stars, in the canton, on a field of [[Chinese red]].
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Flag of China
| order = st
| s = {{linktext|中国|国旗}}
| t = {{linktext|中國|國旗}}
| l = State flag of China
| w = Chungkuo kuoch'i
| p = Zhōngguó guóqí
| y = Zùngwók gwókkei
| bpmf = ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛ´ ㄍㄨㄛ´ ㄑㄧ´
| altname = Flag of the People's Republic of China
| s2 = {{linktext|中华人民共和国|国旗}}
| t2 = {{linktext|中華人民共和國|國旗}}
| l2 = State flag of the People's Republic of China
| w2 = Chunghua Jenmin Kunghokuo kuoch'i
| p2 = Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó guóqí
| y2 = Zùngfàa Jànman Gùngwogwók gwókkei
| bpmf2 = ㄓㄨㄥ ㄏㄨㄚ´ ㄖㄣ´ ㄇㄧㄣ´ ㄍㄨㄥ` ㄏㄜ´ ㄍㄨㄛ´ ㄍㄨㄛ´ ㄑㄧ´
| altname3 = Five-star Red Flag
| s3 = {{linktext|五|星|红|旗}}
| t3 = {{linktext|五|星|紅|旗}}
| p3 = Wǔ xīng hóng qí
| y3 = Ngh sèng gùng kei
}}

The '''national flag of the People's Republic of China''', also known as the '''Five-star Red Flag''',<ref name="pla">{{cite book |author1 = 马全洲 |author2 = 周凯军 |title = Stories About the National Flag, Emblem and Anthem | publisher = People's Liberation Army Publishing House | date = 1 April 2009 | location = Beijing, China | page = 1 |isbn = 978-7-5065-5729-0 }}</ref> is a [[Vermilion#Chinese red|Chinese red]] field with five golden [[Five-pointed star|stars]] [[charge (heraldry)|charged]] at the [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|canton]]. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off towards the fly. It has been the national flag of China since the [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|foundation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949]]. The flag was designed by [[Zeng Liansong]].

The red represents the [[Chinese Communist Revolution]]. The five stars and their relationships to each other represent the unity of four social classes of [[Chinese people]], symbolized by four smaller stars, under the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), symbolized by the large star. The flag was first hoisted by the [[People's Liberation Army]] (PLA) on a pole overlooking Beijing's [[Tiananmen Square]] on 1 October 1949, at a ceremony proclaiming the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

== History ==
{{See also|Flag of the Qing dynasty|Flag of the Republic of China}}

===Early flags===
The previous flag of China was the "[[Yellow Dragon Flag]]" used by the [[Qing dynasty]] — the last [[Imperial dynasties in Chinese history|imperial dynasty in Chinese history]]— from 1862 until the overthrow of the monarchy during the [[1911 Revolution]]. The flag that was adopted in 1862 was triangular, but the dynasty adopted a rectangular version of the dragon flag in 1889.

{{Gallery
|title=Flags of the [[Qing dynasty]]
|width=180 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|Flag_of_China_(1862–1889).svg
 |alt1=Blue dragon on plain yellow triangular flag, with a red pearl at the upper left corner.
 |{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1862–1889)
|Flag_of_China_(1889–1912).svg
 |alt2=Blue dragon on plain yellow rectangular flag, with a red pearl at the upper left corner.
 |{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1889–1912)|alt3=
 |alt4=
 |mode=nolines|style=border: none;|noborder=yes}}

===Republic of China===
{{Gallery
|title=Flags of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]
|width=180 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Flag of China (1912–1928).svg
 |alt1=
 |{{FIAV|historical}}  Flag of the [[Beiyang government]] (1912–1928).
|File:Naval Jack of the Republic of China.svg
 |alt2=
 |{{FIAV|historical}}  "[[Blue Sky with a White Sun]]" flag ({{zh|t=青天白日旗|labels=no}}). [[Kuomintang]] party flag and the ROC [[naval jack]] (1895–present)
|File:Flag of the Republic of China Army.svg
 |alt3=
 |{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the [[Republic of China Army]].
|鐵血十八星旗.svg
 |alt4=
 |{{FIAV|historical}} Wuhan Army flags|mode=nolines|十九星旗.svg||Flag of the Republic of China.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the Republic of China of the [[Nationalist government]] (flown only in [[Taiwan]] after 1949).}}

--The [[Flag terminology|canton]] (upper corner on the hoist side) originated from the "[[Blue Sky with a White Sun|Blue Sky with a White Sun flag]]" ({{zh|t={{linktext|青天|白日|旗}}|p=qīngtiān báirì qí|labels=no}}) designed by [[Lu Haodong]], a martyr of the [[1911 Revolution]]. He presented his design to represent the revolutionary army at the inauguration of the [[Society for Regenerating China]], an [[Anti-Qing sentiment|anti-Qing]] society in [[Hong Kong]], on 21 February 1895. This design was later adopted as the [[KMT party flag]] and the [[Coat of Arms of the Republic of China]]. The "red Earth" portion was added by [[Sun Yat-sen]] in the winter of 1906, bringing the flag to its modern form. According to [[George Yeo]], the then Foreign Minister of Singapore in 2011, in those days, the Blue Sky with a White Sun flag was sewn in the [[Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall]] (formerly known as the "Sun Yat Sen Villa") in Singapore by Teo Eng Hock and his wife.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,15231,|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610153714/http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,15231,|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 June 2011|title=MFA Press Release Admin Page|date=10 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wanqingyuan.com.sg/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126010654/http://wanqingyuan.com.sg/english/onceupon/spsupp.html|url-status=dead|title=万圊远 Real Estate – 万圊远 Real Estate|archive-date=26 November 2009}}</ref> The drafted design had ten stripes with the flag of the Kuomintang in the canton that resembled the [[flag of the United States|flags of the United States]], [[flag of Malaysia|Malaysia]], and [[flag of Liberia|Liberia]].{{fact|date=March 2022}}

During the [[Wuchang Uprising]] in 1911 that heralded the Republic, the various revolutionary armies had different flags. Lu Hao-tung's "Blue Sky with a White Sun" flag was used in the provinces of [[Guangdong]], [[Guangxi]], [[Yunnan]], and [[Guizhou]]. In [[Wuhan]], a flag with 18 yellow stars was used to represent the 18 administrative divisions at the time. In [[Shanghai]] and northern China, a "Five-Colored Flag" ({{zh|t={{linktext|五色|旗}}|p=wǔ sè qí|labels=no}}) ([[Five Races Under One Union]] flag) was used of five horizontal stripes representing the five major [[nationalities of China]]: the [[Han Chinese|Han]] (red), the [[Manchu]] (yellow), the [[Mongol]] (blue), the [[Hui Chinese|Hui]] (white), and the [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] (black).<ref>’’Flags through the ages and across the world’’, Whitney Smith, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1975, Maidenhead, UK, p. 110</ref>

When the government of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] was established on 1 January 1912, the "Five-Colored Flag" was selected by the provisional Senate as the national flag. The "[[:File:鐵血十八星旗.svg|18-Star Flag]]" was adopted by the army<ref name="army">{{cite web|url=http://www.aiplus.idv.tw/soviet/FARMY.HTM |script-title=zh:中國歷代陸軍旗幟 |access-date=26 December 2008 |last=Yu-liang |first=Tai |date=23 October 1954 |language=zh }}</ref> and the modern flag was adopted as a naval ensign.<ref name="navy">{{cite web|url=http://www.aiplus.idv.tw/soviet/FNAVY.HTM |script-title=zh:中國歷代海軍旗幟 |access-date=11 December 2007 |last=Yu-liang |first=Tai |date=23 October 1954 |language=zh }}</ref> Sun Yat-sen, however, did not consider the five-colored flag appropriate, reasoning that horizontal order implied a hierarchy or class like that which existed during dynastic times.{{fact|date=March 2022}}

After President [[Yuan Shikai]] assumed [[Dictatorship|dictatorial powers]] in 1913 by dissolving the [[National Assembly of the Republic of China|National Assembly]] and outlawing the KMT, Sun Yat-sen established a government-in-exile in [[Tokyo]] and employed the modern flag as the national ROC flag. He continued using this design when the KMT established a [[Government of the Republic of China in Guangzhou|rival government]] in [[Guangzhou]] in 1917. The modern flag was made the official national flag on 17 December 1928 after the successful [[Northern Expedition (1926–1927)|Northern Expedition]] that overthrew the Beijing government, though the Five-Colored Flag still continued to be used by locals in an unofficial capacity. One reason for this discrepancy in use was lingering regional biases held by officials and citizens of northern China, who favored the Five-Colored Flag, against southerners such as the [[Guangdong|Cantonese]]/Hakka Sun Yat-sen.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}

During [[the Second Sino-Japanese War]], the invading [[Japan]]ese established a [[Japanese puppet states|variety of puppet governments]] using several flag designs. The "[[Reformed Government of the Republic of China|Reform Government]]", established in March 1938 in [[Nanjing]] to consolidate the various puppet governments, employed the Five-Colored Flag. When [[Wang Jingwei]] was slated to take over the [[Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China|Japanese-installed government in Nanjing]] in 1940, he demanded to use the modern flag as a means to challenge the authority of the [[Nationalist Government]] in [[Chongqing]] under [[Chiang Kai-shek]] and position himself as the rightful successor to Sun Yat-sen. However, the Japanese preferred the Five-Colored flag. As a compromise, the Japanese suggested adding a triangular yellow pennant on top with the slogan "Peace, Anticommunism, National Construction" ({{zh|t=和平反共建國|p=Hépíng fǎngòng jiàn guó|labels=no}}) in black, but this was rejected by Wang. In the end, Wang and the Japanese agreed that the yellow banner was to be used outdoors only until 1943, when the banner was abandoned, leaving two rival governments with the same flag, each claiming to be the legitimate national government of China.<ref>{{cite journal
 |first=Andrew 
 |last=Cheung 
 |title=Slogans, Symbols, and Legitimacy: The Case of Wang Jingwei's Nanjing Regime 
 |version=Working paper 
 |publisher=East Asian Working Paper Series on Language and Politics in Modern China 
 |year=1995 
 |url = http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/resources/working_paper/noframe_6a_sloga.htm 
 |access-date=24 July 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080226023546/http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/resources/working_paper/noframe_6a_sloga.htm 
 |archive-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

After the [[Chinese Civil War]] in 1949, the ROC government led by Chiang Kai-shek relocated its government and its institutions to the island of [[Geography of Taiwan|Taiwan]]. On the [[mainland China|mainland]], CCP forces of [[Mao Zedong]] established the [[People's Republic of China (PRC)|People's Republic of China]] (PRC) and adopted their own national flag. On 23 October 1954, the National Emblem and National Flag of the Republic of China Act ({{zh|t={{linktext|中華民國|國徽|國旗法}} |p=Zhōnghuá Mínguó guóhuī guóqífǎ|labels=no}}) was promulgated by the [[Legislative Yuan]] to specify the size, measure, ratio, production, and management of the flag.<ref name="1954law">{{cite web |url = http://www.globalflag.idv.tw/wg/gqf.htm |script-title=zh:中華民國國徽國旗法 |access-date=26 December 2008 |first=Yu-liang |last=Tai |date=23 October 1954 |language= zh-TW }}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Proposed designs of the Blue Sky, White Sun and Wholly Red Earth Flag
|width=180 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China_(draft_1).svg
 |alt1=Flag proposal 1
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Teo Eng Hock and his wife's proposal 1 for the ROC flag.
|File:Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China_(draft_2).svg
 |alt2=Flag proposal 2
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal 2 for the ROC flag.
|File:Flag of the Republic of China Army.svg
 |alt3=Flag proposal 3
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal 3 for the ROC flag, later adopted as the Flag of the Republic of China Army.
|File:Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg
 |alt4=Flag proposal 4
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal 4 for the ROC flag, later officially adopted as the national flag.
|mode=nolines}}

===People's Republic of China===
On 4 July 1949, the sixth working group of the Preparatory Committee of the New Political Consultative Conference ({{lang|zh-Hant|新政治協商會議籌備會}}, PCNPCC) created a notice to submit designs for the national flag. After subsequent revisions, the notice was published in the papers ''[[People's Daily]]'', ''Beiping Liberation News'', ''Xinmin News'', ''Dazhong Daily'', ''[[Guangming Daily (China)|Guangming Daily]]'', ''Jinbu Daily'' and ''Tianjin Daily'' during the period 15–26 July.<ref name="gov news">{{cite web |url = http://gov.people.com.cn/GB/46743/4889273.html |title=Creation of the Flag, Emblem and Anthem of the People's Republic of China |date=8 October 2006|access-date=5 November 2009 |language= zh-CN |website = Chinese Government News |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081013052258/http://gov.people.com.cn/GB/46743/4889273.html |archive-date=13 October 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The list of requirements for the national flag were also posted in the notice:
# Chinese characteristics (geography, nationality, history, culture, etc.);
# Power characteristics (people's democratic government, led by the working class and based on the worker-peasant alliance);
# The shape should be rectangular and the length-breadth ratio should be 3:2;
# The color should mainly be bright red<ref>{{cite web |url = http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/新政治協商會議籌備會爲徵求國旗國徽圖案及國歌辭譜啓事 |script-title = zh:新政治協商會議籌備會爲徵求國旗國徽圖案及國歌辭譜啓事 |trans-title = Notice to Solicit Designs of the National Flag, Emblem and Anthem |author=PCNPCC |date=10 July 1949 |access-date=5 November 2009 |website=Wikisource |language=zh-Hant }}</ref> (an early draft of the notice had the color as dark red, but this was changed to bright red by [[Zhou Enlai]]).<ref name="kong" />

[[Zeng Liansong]], a citizen from [[Wenzhou]], [[Zhejiang]], was working in Shanghai when the announcement came out; he wanted to create a flag design to express his patriotic enthusiasm for the new country. In the middle of July, he sat down in his attic over the course of several nights to come up with designs. His inspiration for the current design came from observing how stars shine in the night sky. He thusly thought of a Chinese proverb, "longing for the stars, longing for the moon" ({{lang|zh-hant|盼星星盼月亮}}, ''pàn xīngxīng pàn yuèliàng''), which shows yearning. He viewed the CCP as the great savior ({{lang|zh-hant|大救星}}, ''dà jiùxīng'' "great saving star") of the Chinese people, symbolized by the flag's largest star. The idea for four small stars came from "[[On the People's Democratic Dictatorship]]", a speech by Mao Zedong, which defined the Chinese people as consisting of four [[social class]]es, also traditionally referred to in Asian cultures as the [[four occupations]] ({{lang|zh-hant|士農工商}}, ''shì nóng gōng shāng'') ("Scholars, Peasants, Workers, Merchants"). The color yellow implies that China belongs to the Chinese people, a "[[yellow race]]".<ref name="kong"/> After working out the details of the placement of the stars and their sizes (he had tried to put all of the stars in the center, but thought this too dull), he sent his "Five Stars on a Field of Red" ({{lang|zh-hant|紅地五星旗}}, ''hóng dì wǔxīng qí'') design to the committee in the middle of August.<ref name="CPC news" /><ref name="kong"/>

By 20 August, between 2,992<ref name="design_participation"/> and 3,012<ref name="govprcflag">{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.cn/test/2005-05/24/content_18247.htm|title=National Flag of the People's Republic of China|publisher=Gov.cn|date=24 May 2005|access-date=8 November 2009|language=zh|archive-date=9 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009033643/http://www.gov.cn/test/2005-05/24/content_18247.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> designs had been sent to the flag committee,<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/82819/121799/121806/7185220.html|chapter=2, Work of the Preparatory Committee of the New Political Consultative Conference (4)|title=1948–2008, Let history tell the future – the CPC Central Committee issued "51 slogan" 60 anniversary|url=http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/82819/121799/index.html|publisher=China Publishing House|editor1-first=Weiqun|editor1-last=Zhu|isbn=978-7-5075-2294-5|year=2008|language=zh-CN|access-date=5 November 2009|archive-date=9 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309123221/http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/82819/121799/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> including input from committee members themselves such as [[Guo Moruo]] and [[Tan Kah Kee]].<ref name="design_participation">{{cite news|url=http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/85040/9850276.html|title=The National People's active participation in the design within 1 month of flag design up to 2992 candidates|author=Chen, Yu|website=CPC News|date=13 August 2009|access-date=5 November 2009|language=zh|archive-date=9 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209092035/http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/85040/9850276.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> From 16 to 20 August, the designs were viewed at the [[Beijing Hotel]] and culled down to a list of 38.<ref name="CPC news" /><ref name="gov news" /> These designs are collected into a book named ''A Reference of National Flag Designs'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|國旗圖案參考資料}}). This book was then submitted to the newly established [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]] (CPPCC) for further discussion. However, Zeng's design was not included until [[Tian Han]] nominated it again.<ref name="国旗是怎样诞生的">{{cite news |url = http://www.gmw.cn/01wzb/1999-07/22/GB/wzb%5E1664%5E6%5EWZ3-2210.htm |title=How Was The National Flag Created? |publisher=Digest News |date=22 July 1999 |access-date=6 November 2009 |last=Bai |first = Zhi |language= zh }}</ref>

[[File:The first flag of China.jpg|thumbnail|The flag of the People's Republic of China is raised for the first time on 1 October 1949]]On the morning of 23 September, the representatives of the CPPCC discussed the national flags, but came to no conclusion. Some disliked the symbolism which Zeng attached to the four smaller stars, and said it should not include the bourgeoisie. The design Mao and others liked had a giant golden star in the corner on a red flag that was charged with a golden horizontal bar. But this design was strongly opposed by [[Zhang Zhizhong]], who saw the golden bar as symbolizing China being divided into two.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/8798903.html|title = Zhang Zhizhong and the Birth of the 5 Star Red Flag|date = 13 February 2009|access-date = 5 November 2009|last = Tian|first = Shuhe|website = CPC News|language = zh-CN|archive-date = 16 August 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190816210904/http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/8798903.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> That night, Peng Guanghan ({{lang|zh|彭光涵}}) recommended Zeng's design to Zhou Enlai. Zhou was satisfied with it and asked for the creation of a larger copy of the design. Tan Kah Kee also gave his advice to Mao and Zhou that the power characteristics take precedence over Chinese geography characteristics, so there was no need to insist on the golden bar that symbolized the [[Yellow River]]. Two days later, Mao had a meeting in his office about the flag. He persuaded everyone to adopt Zeng's design, with some slight modifications.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Witnesses to the Birth of the National Flag|author=Peng Guanghan|journal=At Home and Overseas|publisher=The All-China Federation of returned overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese|location=Beijing|issn=1002-3801|date=March 2003|language=zh}}</ref> According to earlier discussions at the Beijing Hotel, the [[hammer and sickle]] from Zeng's original design was removed since it was similar to the [[flag of the Soviet Union]].<ref name="国旗是怎样诞生的"/> On 27 September 1949, Zeng's modified design was selected unanimously by the First Plenary Session of CPPCC, which changed the flag's name to "Five-star Red Flag".<ref name="CPC news" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/85039/10163392.html|title=Peng Han: the tortuous process of the flag's birth|author=Wang Jianzhu|date=9 October 2009|publisher=CPC News|access-date=5 November 2009|language=zh}}</ref>

On 29 September, the new flag was published in the ''People's Daily'', so the design could be copied by other local authorities.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=People's Daily|url=http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1000/20090929/000802ab801d0c2c17a32d.jpg|language=zh|format=Image|date=29 September 1949|volume=466|page=1|access-date=6 November 2009}}</ref> The flag was officially unveiled and raised for the first time by Mao Zedong in Beijing's [[Tiananmen Square]] on 1 October 1949, at the formal [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|announcement]] of the [[China|People's Republic of China]]. The first flag flown over Tiananmen Square was sewn together by Zhao Wenrui ({{lang|zh|赵文瑞}}), a seamstress who finished the task around 1{{Nbsp}}pm on 30 September.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://2008.qq.com/a/20080807/000443.htm|title=The first one who stitched the flag of The People's Republic of China – Zhao Wenrui|date=7 August 2008|access-date=6 November 2009|publisher=QQ.com|language=zh|archive-date=15 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715140229/http://2008.qq.com/a/20080807/000443.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Zeng had a hard time believing that his design was picked, due to the missing hammer and sickle from the giant star. However, he was officially congratulated by the General Office of the Central People's Government as the designer of the flag and received 5 million yuan for his work.<ref name="kong">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbw.com/btm/issue71/62-63.html |title=The Worker Who Forged the Red Flag |access-date=3 November 2009 |last=Kong |first=Mark |date=1 October 1999 |work=Beijing This Month |publisher=Chinese Business World |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211184343/http://www.cbw.com/btm/issue71/62-63.html |archive-date=11 February 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Hantailun">{{cite book|title=Witnessed the Tiananmen Square|volume=3|author=Han Tailun|isbn=978-7-224-05364-7|location=Xi'an|publisher=Shaanxi People's Publishing House|year=2000|page=2066|language=zh}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Rejected designs of the Five-star Red Flag
|width=180 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Zeng Liansong's proposal for the PRC flag.svg
 |alt1=A red flag with four small golden stars and one giant gold star at the top left corner. In the giant gold star, a red crossed hammer and sickle is placed in the center.
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} The original design submitted by [[Zeng Liansong]].
|File:Mao Zedong's proposal for the PRC flag.svg
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} The "[[Yellow River]]" flag design originally preferred by [[Mao Zedong]].
|File:Proposal 2 for the PRC flag.svg
 |alt2=Flag proposal 2
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal 2 for the PRC flag.
|File:Proposal 3 for the PRC flag.svg
 |alt3=Flag proposal 3
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal 3 for the PRC flag.
|File:Proposal 4 for the PRC flag.svg
 |alt4=Flag proposal 4
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal 4 for the PRC flag.
|mode=nolines}}

{{Gallery
|title=Other rejected proposed designs
|width=180 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Proposed_PRC_national_flag_001.svg
 |alt1=Proposal by Xiao Shufang
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal by Xiao Shufang
|File:Proposed PRC national flags 006.svg
 |alt2=Proposal by Wu Yuzhang
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal by [[Wu Yuzhang]]
|File:Proposed-PRC-10.svg
 |alt3=Proposal by Ai Qing
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal by [[Ai Qing]]
|File:Proposed PRC national flag 014.svg
 |alt4=Proposal by Zhu De
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal by [[Zhu De]]
|File:Proposed PRC national flag 015.svg
 |alt5=Proposal by Liang Congjie
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal by [[Liang Congjie]]
|File:Proposed PRC flag (Design 8, Guo Moruo).svg
 |alt6=Proposal by Guo Moruo (design 8)
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal by [[Guo Moruo]]
|File:Guo Moruo's Proposal Flag for the PRC.svg
 |alt7=Proposal by Guo Moruo
 |{{FIAV|Proposal}} Proposal by [[Guo Moruo]]
|mode=nolines}}

== Symbolism ==
[[File:Chinese flag (Beijing) - IMG 1104.jpg|thumb|right|Flag of China, Beijing]]
According to the official government interpretation of the flag, the red background symbolizes the [[Chinese Communist Revolution]]. The five stars and their relationship represents the unity of Chinese people under the leadership of the CCP. The orientation of the stars shows that the unity should revolve around a center.<ref name="govprcflag" /> The larger star symbolizes the CCP, and the four smaller stars that surround the big star symbolize the four social classes of China's [[New Democracy]] mentioned in Mao's "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship": the [[working class]], the [[peasant]]ry, the urban [[petite bourgeoisie]], and the national [[bourgeoisie]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lin |first=Chun |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63178961 |title=The transformation of Chinese socialism |date=2006 |publisher=[[Duke University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8223-3785-0 |location=Durham [N.C.] |pages=150 |oclc=63178961}}</ref> It is sometimes stated that the five stars of the flag represent the five largest ethnic groups: [[Han Chinese]], [[Zhuang people|Zhuang]]s, [[Hui people]], [[Manchu people|Manchu]]s and [[Uyghur people|Uyghur]]s.<ref name="Shambaugh">{{cite journal|last=Shambaugh|first=David |date=June 1994|title=Book reviews|journal=The China Quarterly|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press|CUP]] for [[School of Oriental and African Studies|SOAS]]|issue= 138|pages=517–520|doi=10.1017/S0305741000035876 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mayall|first=James|others=ed. Richard W. Bulliet|title=The Columbia History of the 20th Century|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|year=1998|pages=[https://archive.org/details/columbiahistoryo0000unse/page/186 186]|chapter=Nationalism|isbn=0-231-07628-2|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/columbiahistoryo0000unse/page/186}}</ref> This is generally regarded as an erroneous conflation with the [[Five Races Under One Union|"Five Races Under One Union" flag]], used 1912–28 by the [[Beiyang Government]] of Republic of China, whose different-colored stripes represented the Han Chinese, Hui people, Manchus, [[Mongols]] and [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]].<ref name="Shambaugh"/><ref name="Zarrow">{{cite book|last=Zarrow|first=Peter Gue |title=China in War and Revolution, 1895–1949|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2005|pages=363|chapter=Revolution and Civil War|isbn=0-415-36448-5}}</ref>

== Construction details, sizes and colors ==
The construction sheet for the national flag was published on 28 September 1949 by an order from the Presidium of the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC.<ref name="cnflaglaw">{{cite web|url=http://www.zjswb.gov.cn/zjswbcms/view/en/news.jsp?unid=74DA037561CEAB31AF98BE644285D160 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707043738/http://www.zjswb.gov.cn/zjswbcms/view/en/news.jsp?unid=74DA037561CEAB31AF98BE644285D160 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 July 2011 |title=Law About The National Flag of the People's Republic of China |access-date=7 November 2009 |date=1 October 1990 |publisher=Zhejiang Provincial Foreign Affairs Office }} [[:zh:s:中华人民共和国国旗法|in Chinese]]</ref> The information can also be found in the document "[[List of GB standards|GB]] 12982-2004: National flag" that was released by the [[Standardization Administration of China]].<ref name="standards">{{cite web|url=http://www.sac.gov.cn/SACSearch/search?channelid=160591&templet=gjcxjg_detail.jsp&searchword=STANDARD_CODE='12982'&XZ=T|language=zh-cn|script-title=zh:国家标准委标准制修订管理系统|website=www.sac.gov.cn|access-date=4 June 2022|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921002238/http://www.sac.gov.cn/SACSearch/search?channelid=160591&templet=gjcxjg_detail.jsp&searchword=STANDARD_CODE=%2712982%27&XZ=T|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
{{-}}
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
! Construction sheet
! Standard
|-
|[[File:Flag of China (construction sheet).svg|450px]]
|
#The flag is split into 4 sections, with the top hoist part of the flag being a grid of 15 by 10 units. 
#The center of the biggest star is placed at 5 units from the hoist and 5 units from the top of the flag; the diameter of the biggest star's [[circumscribed circle]] is 6 units.
#Of the 4 smaller stars, the first one is centered 2 units from the top of the flag, 10 units from the hoist; the second one is centered 4 units from the top of the flag and 12 units from the hoist; the third one is centered 7 units from the top of the flag and 12 units from the hoist; the fourth one is centered 9 units from the top of the flag and 10 units from the hoist. 
#The diameter of each small star's circumscribed circle is 2 units. Each of the top points of the 4 smaller stars are rotated such that they point towards the center of the larger star.<ref name="chinaflagcon">{{cite web |url=http://www.protocol.gov.hk/flags/eng/n_flag/spec.html |title=Specifications for the National Flag |access-date=7 November 2009 |date=6 November 2005 |publisher=Protocol Division, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government of the People's Republic of China |archive-date=1 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201132404/https://www.protocol.gov.hk/flags/eng/n_flag/spec.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|}

During the [[2016 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], flags that failed to adhere to the regulations were used in connection with China. The flags, used during the opening ceremony and two medal ceremonies, featured the four small stars incorrectly angled in the same direction, eliciting both fury at and a subsequent apology from the Olympic organizers.<ref>{{cite news |last= Gajanan|first=Mahita  |date=9 August 2016 |title=Olympic Officials Apologize to China for Using the Wrong Flag |url=https://time.com/4445373/rio-2016-olympics-china-wrong-flags/ |newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=22 August 2016 }}</ref>

The {{ill|Law on the National Flag|zh|中华人民共和国国旗法}} mentions five possible sizes that could be made for the national flag:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.protocol.gov.hk/flags/eng/n_flag/standard.html |title=Standard Sizes of the National Flag |access-date=7 November 2009 |date=6 November 2005 |publisher=Protocol Division, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government of the People's Republic of China |archive-date=24 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324055249/https://www.protocol.gov.hk/flags/eng/n_flag/standard.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to Article 4 of the Law On the National Flag, people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government are directed to authorize companies to make any copy of the national flag.<ref name="cnflaglaw"/> Besides five official sizes for flying on flagpoles, there are another four smaller sizes for other purposes, such as decoration on cars or display in meeting rooms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m.qizhi147.com/nd.jsp?id=13 |language=zh-cn|script-title=zh:国旗的标准尺寸和国旗每个尺寸的用途介绍 |publisher=Shanghai Yingfeng Flag Co. Ltd |date=2016}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|-
!Size !!1 !!2 !!3 !!4 !!5 !!6 !!7 !!8 !!9
|-
|Length × width (cm)
|| 288&nbsp;×&nbsp;192|| 240&nbsp;×&nbsp;160|| 192&nbsp;×&nbsp;128|| 144&nbsp;×&nbsp;96|| 96&nbsp;×&nbsp;64|| 66&nbsp;×&nbsp;44|| 45&nbsp;×&nbsp;30|| 30&nbsp;×&nbsp;20|| 21&nbsp;×&nbsp;14
|}

=== Colors ===
The colors of the national flag are stipulated in the document "GB 12983-2004: Standard Color Sample of the National Flag", and promulgated by the Standardization Administration of China. The colors are in specified in [[CIE 1931 color space#Similar color spaces|CIE 1964 xyY<sub>10</sub> color space]] under [[standard illuminant]] D65.<ref name="flagcolor">{{cite web |url=http://cnc.zhaobz.com/gb/a/4/zhaobzgb3024coo.rar  |script-title=zh:GB 12983-2004 国旗颜色标准样品 |trans-title=Standard Color Sample of the National Flag |access-date=2 November 2009 |year=2004 |format=PDF |publisher=Standardization Administration of China |language=zh |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813212810/http://cnc.zhaobz.com/gb/a/4/zhaobzgb3024coo.rar |archive-date=13 August 2011 }}</ref>
{|class = "wikitable" width=80%
|+Standard color sample of the national flag<ref name="flagcolor" />
|-
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | Fabric
! rowspan=2 | Luminance ''Y''<sub>10</sub>
! colspan=2 | Color coordinate
! rowspan="2" | Allowable error margin
|-
! ''x''<sub>10</sub> !! ''y''<sub>10</sub>
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[Synthetic fiber]]
! Red
|| 9.4 || 0.555 ||0.328
| rowspan=6 | All are <math>\Delta E_{ab}^{\,\bullet}\le 2.0</math>
|-
! Gold
|| 41.2 || 0.446 || 0.489
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[Silk]]
! Red
|| 12.3 || 0.565 || 0.325
|-
! Gold
|| 32.4 || 0.450 || 0.463
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[Cotton cloth]]
! Red
|| 9.2 || 0.595 || 0.328
|-
! Gold
|| 33.0 || 0.467 || 0.463
|-
! Sleeve !! White
|| 78.0 || – || – ||The luminance ''Y''<sub>10</sub> must not be less than 78
|}

{{anchor|Color scheme}}For computer display, the National Flag Law defers to "standard" [[PNG image]]s posted on the [[National People's Congress]] website.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210112023540/http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/gqgggh/202012/84c174f138044a98ba211a15b316ffc4/files/afff82e8be374e8ebbf2f82085c7e971.pdf Article 9 of the National Flag Law of PRC]: "Standard version of national flag image for online usage is released on the website of the National People's Congress and the Government of China. (网络使用的国旗图案标准版本在中国人大网和中国政府网上发布。)"</ref> The specific colors used, in the [[sRGB]] space of the PNG file, are:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210105135249/http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/gqgggh/202012/7ac70d3a4cfb480ea9edc872bdc85578.shtml National Flag Image for Online Usage, National People's Congress of PRC]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
![[File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|30px]]
! style="background:#EE1C25; width:200px" | <span style="color:white;">Red</span>
! style="background:#FFFF00; width:200px" | Yellow
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''[[RGB color model|RGB]]'''
| <code>238/28/37</code> || <code>255/255/0</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''[[Hexadecimal]]'''
| <code>#EE1C25</code> || <code>#FFFF00</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" |'''[[CMYK color model|CMYK]]'''
| <code>0/88/84/7</code> || <code>0/0/100/0</code>
|}

===Unicode===
The Flag of China is represented as the [[Unicode]] [[emoji]] sequence {{unichar|1F1E8|REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER C}} and {{unichar|1F1F3|REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER N}}.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://emojipedia.org/flag-for-china/|title=🇨🇳 Flag for China Emoji|access-date=26 May 2018|language=en}}</ref>

== Regulations ==
{{Wikisource|Law About The National Flag of the People's Republic of China}}
The current law about the national flag was passed by 14th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress on 28 June 1990 and was enforced starting 1 October 1990. The main point of the law was to set down regulations on how to make the Chinese flag, what it looks like, where it can be flown and how it can be flown. The law also stresses that the national flag is "the symbol and hallmark of the People's Republic of China" and that everyone "shall respect and care for the National Flag".<ref name="cnflaglaw"/>

=== Guidelines for flag display ===
[[File:Vertical Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|thumb|Proper vertical display of the flag of the People's Republic of China.]]
The National Flag Law of the People's Republic of China has made detailed regulations on places or institutions for raising the national flag. Specifically, it stipulates the flag must be hung daily at Tiananmen Square, the {{ill|Gate of New China|zh|新華門}}, the [[Standing Committee of the National People's Congress]], the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]], the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the [[Supreme People's Procuratorate]], immigration agencies, ports, railway stations and other [[ports of entry]], among other places. The flag should be hung at various departments of the State Council, the standing committees of local people's congresses at all levels, courts, and local committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference or property belonging to said places or institutions on working days. National flags should be raised in full-time schools except on vacations and Sundays.

===Priority in processions===
According to Article 15 of the {{ill|Law on the National Flag|zh|中华人民共和国国旗法}}, "the national flag, when raised or carried in a procession with another flag or flags, shall be in front of the other flag or flags." However, incidents violating the aforementioned provisions, such as the CCP flag leading the national flag, have occurred.

===Folding the flag===
# Fold horizontally along the center.
# Repeat, fold horizontally along the center.
# Fold vertically along the center of the flag.
# Repeat, fold vertically along the center of the flag.
# Repeat, fold vertically along the center of the flag.
# Repeat, fold vertically along the top

===Desecration===
{{see also|Flag desecration#China}}
[[File:2008 Tibet. China..jpg|thumb|right|Chinese flag being burned at a pro-Tibet protest]]

Flag desecration is prohibited in China. The penal code<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cecc.gov/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803234710/http://www.cecc.gov/pages/newLaws/criminalLawENG.php|url-status=dead|title=Congressional-Executive Commission on China|archive-date=3 August 2010|website=www.cecc.gov}}</ref> provides for imprisonment up to three years, criminal detention, public surveillance, or deprivation of political rights for "whoever desecrates the National Flag or the [[National Emblem of the People's Republic of China|National Emblem]] of the People's Republic of China by intentionally burning, mutilating, scrawling on, defiling or trampling upon it in a public place". Some Taiwanese groups have burned the Chinese flag in protest of the PRC government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Ann |title=Flag raisings and burnings in Taiwan as some mark China's national day |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/flag-raisings-burnings-taiwan-some-mark-chinas-national-day-2022-10-01/ |work=Reuters |date=1 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

On 29 September 2017, Hong Kong elected legislator [[Cheng Chung-tai]] was convicted of desecrating the flag under the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hklii.org/eng/hk/legis/instrument/A401/|title=Hong Kong Constitutional Instruments|website=Hong Kong Legal Information Institute|access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref>{{Original research inline|date=December 2023}} He had been seen turning representations of the flags (not of standard dimensions) upside down in the legislative chamber in October of the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cheung |first=Karen |date=29 September 2017 |title=Civic Passion lawmaker Cheng Chung-tai found guilty of 'desecrating' flags during legislative session |newspaper=[[Hong Kong Free Press]] |url=https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/09/29/breaking-civic-passion-lawmaker-cheng-chung-tai-found-guilty-desecrating-flags-legislative-session/ |access-date=6 October 2017}}</ref>

==Flags of the Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China==
{{Main|Flag of Hong Kong|Flag of Macau}}
[[File:Flag_flying_protocol_of_Hong_Kong_SAR_and_PRC.svg|right|345px|thumb|The regional flag (Hong Kong) displayed with the national flag.]]
Due to an order passed by the CCP Central Committee General Office and General Office of the State Council, cities and provinces are no longer allowed to adopt their own symbols.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅关于禁止自行制作和使用地方旗、徽的通知 |title=CPC Central Committee and State Council Notice On the Prohibition of the Creation and Use of Civic Flags |access-date=8 November 2009 |date=18 November 1997 |publisher=Wikisource }}</ref> However, both of the Hong Kong and [[Macau]] [[Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China|Special Administrative Regions]] of China have their own special flags. The precise use of the SAR flags are regulated by laws passed by the National People's Congress.<ref name="hongkong_flag">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com.cn/zgrdxw/faguiku/dff/F50-1060.html|title=Decision of the Hong Kong SAR Flag|author=[[Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]]|website=People.com.cn|date=11 August 1996|access-date=22 November 2009|language=zh|archive-date=1 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001185206/http://www.people.com.cn/zgrdxw/faguiku/dff/F50-1060.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="macau_flag">{{cite web|url=http://www.china.com.cn/law/flfg/txt/2006-08/08/content_7064255.htm|title=Law Regarding The Flag and Emblem of the Hong Kong SAR|publisher=China.com.cn|work=Preparatory Committee for the Macau Special Administrative Region|date=16 January 1999|access-date=22 November 2009|language=zh}}</ref>

The Flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region features a stylized, white, five-petal ''[[Bauhinia blakeana]]'' flower in the center of a red field. On each petal is a red star; they symbolise Hong Kong's status under China, while the overall flag design signifies the reestablished link between postcolonial Hong Kong and China while demonstrating the "[[One country, two systems]]" political principle applied to the region.<ref name="symbolism">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BmCFznufJ54C&pg=PA582 |title=International Law Reports|volume=122|year=2002|page=582|access-date=1 November 2009|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-80775-3 |author1=Elihu Lauterpacht |author2=C. J. Greenwood |author3=A. G. Oppenheimer }}</ref><ref name="reflection">{{cite web|url=http://info.news365.com.cn/was40/detail?record=270&channelid=26700&searchword=%BB%F9%B1%BE%B7%A8 |script-title=zh:忆香港区旗区徽的诞生（上） |trans-title=Reflecting on the Creation of the Hong Kong SAR Flag and Emblem – Part 1 |publisher=Wenhui-xinmin United Press Group|date=24 May 2007|access-date=20 March 2009|language=zh}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}} and {{cite web|url=http://info.news365.com.cn/was40/detail?record=268&channelid=26700&searchword=%BB%F9%B1%BE%B7%A8 |script-title=zh:忆香港区旗区徽的诞生（下） |trans-title=Reflecting on the Creation of the Hong Kong SAR Flag and Emblem – Part 2|publisher=Wenhui-xinmin United Press Group|date=25 May 2007|access-date=20 March 2009|language=zh}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The flag of Hong Kong was adopted on 16 February 1990.<ref>{{cite book |author=陶存 |author2=范希春, 宋彦尊 |title=Decade After The Return of Hong Kong|access-date=22 November 2009 |volume=1 |year=2007 |publisher=Shandong People's Publishing House |location=Jinan |language=zh |isbn=978-7-209-04247-5 |page=36 |chapter=Deciding the flag and emblem of Hong Kong |chapter-url = http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/chapter_42612_27183.html}}</ref> On 10 August 1996, it received formal approval from the [[Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|Preparatory Committee]], a group which advised the People's Republic of China (PRC) on [[Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty]] from the United Kingdom to the PRC in 1997.<ref name="hongkong_flag" /> The flag was first officially hoisted on 1 July 1997, in the [[The handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997|handover ceremony]] marking the transfer of sovereignty from the [[United Kingdom]] to China.<ref name="HandoverCeremony">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/hongkong/life/lifeschedule.html|title=Schedule of Events|first=Jeffrey |last = Aaronson |magazine=Time |access-date=1 November 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005020342/http://www.time.com/time/hongkong/life/lifeschedule.html <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=5 October 2009}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| width             = 180
| footer            = {{FIAV|normal}} Flags of the [[Special administrative regions of China|Special Administrative Region]]s of [[Flag of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] and [[Flag of Macau|Macau]].
| image1            = Flag of Hong Kong.svg
| image2            = Flag of Macau.svg
}}

The Regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region is "Macau green" with a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]] flower above a stylized image of the [[Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho|Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge]] and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large star in the center of the arc and four smaller ones. The lotus was chosen as the floral emblem of Macau. The Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge is a bridge linking the [[Macau Peninsula]] and the island of [[Taipa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culturalink.gov.cn/cnstatic/doc/exhibition/Macaoe.doc |title=Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Macao's Return to China |access-date=2 November 2009 |year=2009 |format=DOC |publisher=Office of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs, Ministry of Culture, P. R. China |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707032101/http://www.culturalink.gov.cn/cnstatic/doc/exhibition/Macaoe.doc |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The bridge is one of the most recognizable landmarks of the territory. The water beneath the lotus and the bridge symbolize Macau's position as a port and its role played in the territory. The five five-pointed stars echo the design of the national flag, symbolizing the relationship Macau has with its mother country.<ref name="ambiente">{{cite web|url=http://www.ambiente.gov.mo/tchinese/07/lotus05/l0508.asp |title=Lotus and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the Regional Flag and Regional Emblem |access-date=2 November 2009 |author=楊允中 |publisher=Macao Special Administrative Region Government and Environment Committee |language=zh |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071223002632/http://www.ambiente.gov.mo/tchinese/07/lotus05/l0508.asp |archive-date = 23 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The design was chosen on 15 January 1993 by a committee that was drafting the [[Basic Law of Macau|Basic Law]] for the Macau SAR and was formally adopted by the Macau SAR Preparatory Committee on 16 January 1999.<ref name="macauadopt">{{cite web |url = http://www.cdfao.chengdu.gov.cn/list.asp?ClassID=02011006 |title=Flag and Emblem of the Macao SAR |access-date=2 November 2009 |publisher=Chengdu People's Government Foreign Affairs Office |language= zh |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091206193106/http://www.cdfao.chengdu.gov.cn/list.asp?ClassID=02011006 |archive-date=6 December 2009 }}</ref> The flag was first officially hoisted on 20 December 1999, in the [[Transfer of sovereignty over Macau|handover ceremony]] marking the transfer of sovereignty from [[Portugal]] to China.<ref>{{cite book | last = Lee | first = Khoon Choy | title = Pioneers of Modern China: Understanding the Inscrutable Chinese | publisher = World Scientific Publishing Co | date = November 2005 | pages = 499 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1jlOQc8BumIC&q=Macau+flag&pg=PT523 | isbn = 978-981-256-618-8 }}</ref>

== Military flags ==
{{Main|Flag of the People's Liberation Army}}

There are six flags that are used by the [[People's Liberation Army]] (PLA). The main feature of these flags is a golden star at the top left corner and two Chinese characters "{{lang|zh|八一}}" to the right of the star, all placed on a red background. The characters "{{lang|zh|八一}}" (literally "eight one") pay homage to the [[Nanchang uprising|events]] on 1 August 1927 (8th month, 1st day); this was when the PLA was created by the CCP to start their rebellion against the [[Kuomintang]] Government in [[Nanchang]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Fei |last=Wu |title = Military Parade Marks Anniversary |date=1 October 2009 |newspaper=China Daily |url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/60th/2009-10/01/content_8759348.htm |agency = Xinhua |access-date = 4 November 2009 }}</ref> The main flag of the PLA was created on 15 June 1949 by a decree issued from Mao.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ybsy.gov.cn/gfjy/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=1494 |title=Flag of the People's Liberation Army |access-date=4 November 2009 |date=11 January 2009 |publisher=Yibin Shuangyong Information Network |language = zh |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110707043014/http://www.ybsy.gov.cn/gfjy/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=1494 |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}</ref> The flag has a ratio of 5 by 4, which has a white sleeve measuring {{frac|16}} of the flag's length. For ceremonies, a PLA flag with golden fringe is placed on a pole with gold and red spiral stripes and topped with a golden finial and red tassel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://law.lawtime.cn/d662410667504.html |title=Central Military Commission Provisions On The Military Flag |access-date=4 November 2009 |date=17 June 1978 |language= zh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513085559/http://law.lawtime.cn/d662410667504.html |archive-date=13 May 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Each branch of the PLA, the [[People's Liberation Army Ground Force|Ground Forces]], [[People's Liberation Army Navy|Navy]], [[People's Liberation Army Air Force|Air Force]] and [[People's Liberation Army Rocket Force|Rocket Force]], also have their own flags to use. In a 1992 order, the flags of the three branches were defined. The top {{frac|5|8}} of the flags is the same as the PLA flag; the bottom {{frac|3|8}} are occupied by the colors of the branches.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.diyifanwen.com/fanwen/bayijianjunjie/143152262.html |title = 81 Flag and Other Signs |access-date = 4 November 2009 |language=zh }}</ref> The flag of the Ground Forces has a forest green bar at the bottom, the naval ensign has stripes of blue and white at the bottom, the Air Force uses a sky blue bar and the Rocket Force uses a yellow bar at the bottom. The forest green represents the earth, the blue and white stripes represent the seas, the sky blue represents the air and the yellow represents the flare of missile launching.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2004-06/23/content_1542456.htm |title = Flag, Emblem and Song of the People's Liberation Army |access-date=4 November 2009 |date=23 June 2004 |website = Xinhua Net News |publisher = Xinhua News Agency |language = zh }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0701/c1011-28516063.html |title = Uniform of Rocket Force |access-date=6 July 2016 |date=1 July 2016 |work = People's Daily |language = zh}}</ref>

On 10 January 2018, the [[People's Armed Police]] received a new flag following the design of the PLA branch flags with three olive stripes at the bottom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mod.gov.cn/topnews/2018-01/10/content_4802151.htm|title=国防部新闻发言人吴谦就武警部队旗寓意答问|date=2018-01-10|publisher=[[Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China]]|accessdate=2018-01-10|archive-date=2020-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004005022/http://www.mod.gov.cn/topnews/2018-01/10/content_4802151.htm}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Military flags
|width=140 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|File:People's Liberation Army Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
 |alt1 = A golden star, along with three Chinese characters, placed on a red background.
 |{{FIAV|001000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[People's Liberation Army]]
|File:Ground Force Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
 |alt2 = A golden star, along with three Chinese characters, placed on a red background. At the bottom of a flag is a green bar.
 |{{FIAV|001000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[People's Liberation Army Ground Force|Ground Force]]
|File:Naval Ensign of the People's Republic of China.svg
 |alt3 = A golden star, along with three Chinese characters, placed on a red background. At the bottom of a flag are stripes of blue, white, blue, white and blue.
 |{{FIAV|001001}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[People's Liberation Army Navy|Navy]]
|File:Air Force Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
 |alt4 = A golden star, along with three Chinese characters, placed on a red background. At the bottom of a flag is a sky blue bar.
 |{{FIAV|001000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[People's Liberation Army Air Force|Air Force]]
|File:Rocket Force Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
 |alt5 = A golden star, along with three Chinese characters, placed on a red background. At the bottom of a flag is a yellow bar.
 |{{FIAV|001000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[People's Liberation Army Rocket Force|Rocket Force]]
|File:People's Armed Police Flag.svg
 |alt6 = A golden star, along with three Chinese characters, placed on a red background. At the bottom of a flag is 3 green bars.
 |{{FIAV|001000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[People's Armed Police]]
|mode=nolines}}

== CCP flags ==
{{See also|Emblem of the Chinese Communist Party}}
After the CCP was founded in 1920, various sections of the party made flags based on what the [[Bolshevik]]s used, producing various designs and patterns. The current flag of the CCP was not created until 28 April 1942. On that date, the CCP Central Committee Political Bureau issued a decree announcing the flag and the pattern it should follow.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.hndjw.gov.cn/dangshibolan/dangshiwenzhai/2009-09-14/11415.html |title= History – Flag of the Communist Party of China |access-date=4 November 2009 |date=14 September 2009 |publisher=Henan Party Network Division | language = zh }}{{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The design was further defined in the CCP Constitution in 1996.<ref name="cpcflagcon">{{cite web |url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2003-01/18/content_695383_1.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061029032348/http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2003-01/18/content_695383_1.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = 29 October 2006 |title=Provisions for Using the Flag and Emblem of the CPC |access-date = 5 November 2009 |date= 21 September 1996 |language = zh }}</ref> The flag has a red background that is charged with the emblem of the CCP in gold at the top left corner.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/49109.htm#12 |series=Constitution of the Communist Party of China | title = XI Party Emblem and Flag |access-date=5 November 2009 |date=18 November 2002 |publisher = [[China International Publishing Group]] |website = [[China Internet Information Center]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071018054320/http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/49109.htm#12 |archive-date = 18 October 2007 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The flag ratio is defined as two by three (24×36 units); the size of the emblem is eight units square, placed four units away from the hoist and three units away from the top of the flag.<ref name="cpcflagcon" />

The flag of the [[Communist Youth League of China]] was adopted on 4 May 1950.  The design of the flag consists of the group emblem, a gold star surrounded by a ring of gold, charged on a red field. The construction of the flag consists of making the top hoist portion of the flag into twelve by eighteen units, placing the emblem in the middle of that rectangle. The radius of the emblem is four units.<ref name="cylcflag">{{cite web| location = CN | url=http://www.nhyouth.gov.cn/news_view.asp?newsid=471 |title=Organization Song, Flag, Emblem and Card |access-date=5 November 2009 |date=6 January 2007 | publisher = Communist Youth League of China |language=zh}}</ref>

The [[Young Pioneers of China]] currently uses two flags. The first flag is for pioneer battalions. The length of this flag is {{convert|90|cm|in|sp=us}}; its width,{{convert|120|cm|in|sp=us}}.  A golden badge of the Young Pioneers is placed in the center of the flag. However, for a company, a second, modified flag is used. The flag has a length of {{convert|60|cm|in|sp=us}} and a width of {{convert|80|cm|in|sp=us}}. A {{convert|20|cm|in|sp=us}} triangle is cut out of the fly edge of the flag and the golden emblem is shifted closer towards the hoist.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.abayouth.gov.cn/html/sxdgz/2007/929/079291015081FDAD8JC96CDAJHIJK8.html |title=Young Pioneers of China Unit Flag |access-date=20 November 2009 |date=27 September 2007 |publisher=Communist Youth League in Sichuan Province |language = zh }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Organizational flags
|width=140 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Flag of the Chinese Communist Party.svg
 |alt1=A golden, crossed, hammer and sickle placed on a red background.
 |{{FIAV|010000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[Chinese Communist Party]]
|File:Flag of the Communist Youth League of China.svg
 |alt2=A golden star placed inside a golden ring, all placed on a red background.
 |{{FIAV|010000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[Communist Youth League of China]]
|File:中国少年先锋队队旗 (大队旗).svg
 |alt3=A gold star placed on top of a red torch with a flame, outlined in gold. This is centered on a red background.
 |{{FIAV|010000}}{{FIAV|normal}} [[Young Pioneers of China|Young Pioneers of China (Pioneer Battalions)]]
|File:中国少年先锋队队旗 (中队旗).svg
 |alt4=A gold star placed on top of a red torch with a flame, outlined in gold. This is placed on a red background, where the right edge has a triangle section cut out.
 |{{FIAV|010000}}{{FIAV|normal}} Young Pioneers of China (Pioneer Companies)
|mode=nolines}}

==Customs flag==
[[File:Flag of the Customs of the People's Republic of China.svg|thumb|{{FIAV|010000}}{{FIAV|normal}} Customs flag of China]]
The customs flag is the Chinese national flag with the emblem of customs at the lower right corner, which consists of a golden key and the [[Caduceus]] of [[Hermes]], crossing each other. The current customs flag was officially adopted on 1 October 1953. The customs flag should be hung at the bow of the customs vessel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zhengzhou.customs.gov.cn/publish/portal106/tab1641/module5966/info3564.htm |language=zh-cn |script-title=zh:海关关旗 |publisher=Zhengzhou Customs |date=26 August 2005 |access-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731195853/http://zhengzhou.customs.gov.cn/publish/portal106/tab1641/module5966/info3564.htm |archive-date=31 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{clear}}

== Historical and foreign-influenced flags ==
{{Main list|List of Chinese flags}}

{{Gallery
|title=Historical flags
|width=140 
|height=120 
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1862-1889).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} [[Flag of the Qing dynasty]] (1862–1889)
|File:Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1889-1912).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the [[Qing dynasty]] (1889–1912)
|File:Flag of the Republic of China 1912-1928.svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (1912–1928), representing the [[Five Races Under One Union]] principle
|Image:Flag of the Empire of China (1915–1916).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} National flag of [[Empire of China (1915–1916)
 |Empire of China]] 1916
|File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg
 |[[Flag of the Republic of China]] (1928–present)
|File:Flag of the Republic of China Army.svg
 |Flag of the [[National Revolutionary Army]] (1928–1947) and the flag of the [[Republic of China Army]] (1947–present)
|File:Naval Jack of the Republic of China.svg
 |Flag of the [[Kuomintang]] and the naval jack of the [[Republic of China Navy]] (1947–present)
|File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg
 |[[Chinese Taipei Olympic flag|Flag of Chinese Taipei]] used by ROC (1984–present)
|File:National Flag of Chinese Soviet Republic.svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the [[Chinese Soviet Republic]] (1931–1937)
|Flag of the Chinese Communist Party (Pre-1996).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the Chinese Communist Party before 1996
|File:Second War Flag of Chinese Soviet Republic.svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} War flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army
|File:Flag of the Republic of China-Nanjing (Peace, Anti-Communism, National Construction).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} The [[Flag of Wang Jingwei regime|flag]] of the [[Wang Jingwei regime|Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China]], a [[List of World War II puppet states#Japan|Japanese puppet state]] during [[World War II]], was based on the Flag of the Republic of China.
|File:Flag of Manchukuo.svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} [[Flag of Manchukuo|National flag of Manchukuo]] (1932–1945)
|File:Flag of Russia.svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} [[Flag of Russia|Russian flag]] used in [[Russian Dalian|Dalian]] (1895–1905)
|File:Flag of the Soviet Union (1924–1955).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} [[Flag of the Soviet Union|Soviet flag]] used in [[Dalian]], [[Chinese Eastern Railway]] and [[Soviet occupation of Manchuria|its occupation of Manchuria]] (1945–1946)
|File:Flag of Japan (1870–1999).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} [[Flag of Japan|Imperial Japanese flag]] used in [[Kwantung Leased Territory]] (1905–1945), [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan]] (1895–1945) and occupied parts of southeastern China (1937–1945)
|File:Flag of CER (1897).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the Chinese Eastern Railway used in 1897–1915
|File:Flag of CERSC.svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of Chinese Eastern Railway Shipping Company
|File:Flag of CER (1915).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the Chinese Eastern Railway used in 1915–1925
|File:Flag of CER (1925).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the Chinese Eastern Railway used in 1925–1932
|File:Flag of CER (1932).svg
 |{{FIAV|Historical}} Flag of the Chinese Eastern Railway used in 1932–1935
|mode=nolines}}

==Gallery==
{{Gallery
|title=Flags in use
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Boeing 747-4J6 Air China B-2447 (7288535966).jpg
 |The PRC flag on an [[Air China]] [[Boeing 747-400]].
|File:Yao Ming with the Chinese flag 2008 Summer Olympics - Opening Ceremony.jpg
 |[[Yao Ming]] holding the PRC flag during the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] Parade of Nations.
|File:国旗 - panoramio.jpg
 |PRC flag flying in the middle of [[Tiananmen Square]].
|File:2012 Anti-Japan demonstrations2.jpg
 |Protesters waving PRC and ROC flags during an [[2012 China anti-Japanese demonstrations|anti-Japan demonstration]] in [[Hong Kong]] in 2012.
|File:2015 China Victory Day Parade (1).jpg
 |Flag of the PRC flying in the [[2015 China Victory Day Parade|2015 Victory Day Parade]].
|File:Chinese Embassy in Nuku'alofa.jpg
 |PRC embassy in [[Nuku'alofa]], [[Tonga]] with its national flag.
|File:March of Nations.JPG
 |Chinese delegates with the PRC flag marching into the stadium for the World Sports Festival.
|File:HKSM 香港太空館 Hong Kong Space Museum Astronaut blue uniform Shen Zhou logo n RPChina red flag Jan-2013.JPG
 |The PRC flag on the uniform of [[Shenzhou 5]] spaceflight mission.
|File:Guy with a large PRC flag running along side of torch 20080409.jpg
 |A man in [[San Francisco]] holding the PRC flag during the torch relay for the [[2008 Summer Olympics]].
|File:Парад в честь 70-летия Великой Победы - 40.jpg
 |The [[People's Liberation Army]] with the PRC banner during the [[2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade]].
|File:Élève chinoise Polytechnique.jpg
 |Chinese students with the PRC flag at {{Lang|fr|[[École Polytechnique]]|italic=no}}.
|File:Great Wall of China may 2007.JPG
 |The flag of the PRC flown on the [[Great Wall of China]].
}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|China|Socialism|Heraldry}}
* [[List of Chinese flags]]
* [[Emblem of the People's Republic of China]]
* [[March of the Volunteers]]
* [[Flag of the Republic of China]]
* [[Red flag (politics)|Red flag]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{-}}
{{Asia topic|Flag of|title=[[Flags of Asia]]}}
{{national flags}}
{{China topics|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of The People's Republic Of China}}
[[Category:National symbols of the People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:National flags|China]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1949|China]]
[[Category:Flags of the People's Republic of China| ]]
[[Category:Flags adopted through competition|China]]
[[Category:Flags of Asia]]
[[Category:Red and yellow flags|China]]
[[Category:Flags with stars]]