Flag ratio: 2:3
The Flag of the People's Republic of China, the "Five-Starred Red Flag (五星红旗 in pinyin: wǔ xīng hóng qí)", was designed by Zeng Liansong (曾联松 zēng lían sòng), an economist by trade and a talented artist who took residence in Ruian (瑞安 rùi ān), Zhejiang. He designed it in response to a circular distributed by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in July, 1949, shortly after they came to power. Out of some 3,000 plus entries received for the design competition, Zeng's was chosen after being nominated as one of the 38 finalists. Mao Zedong himself personally hoisted the first of this flag on a pole overlooking Tiananmen Square on the day of its revealing.
The design incorporates some of the well-known symbols of communism: blood red flag as its background and bright yellow for its stars. The larger star symbolizes the leadership of the Communist Party of China. There is no official interpretation for the four smaller stars. Popular speculation has suggested that they represent the Chinese people, in general; another popular suggestion is that they represent the four classes: the workers, the peasants, the petty bourgeoisie, and patriotic capitalists. Another interpretation is that the large star represents the dominant Han Chinese while the smaller stars represent the four minority ethnicities of China: Tibetans, Manchus, Mongols, and Uighurs, much like the old five-striped flag of the Republic of China; however, China now officially recognizes 55 minority ethnic groups rather than the four groups recognized at the beginning of the 20th century, and all ethnic groups are officially equal in status, so this interpretation contradicts stated official policy.
The design went through several changes and was finally approved by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on September 27, 1949 at their First Plenary Session. The original design plans consisted of several alterations in comparison with the modern-day flag, which is really a watered-down version at that. Originally, the flag had either a hammer and sickle embedded within the largest star (representing the unity of the combined strength of the government and its people), or several horizontal lines below the stars (representing the Han race and possibly the Yellow River). These ideas, however, were abandoned for a more "streamlined" and simplistic design.
Three of the original flag candidates showed the large golden star (with no additional stars anywhere else) along with one, two, or three yellow bars (horizontal) at the bottom of the flag, representing the Yangtze, Huang He and the Zhujiang River. They were not chosen, however, because the very presence of these bars appeared to, at least on the surface of the flag, suggest a tearing or splittling of the nation.
Two other designs featuring the large star with four smaller stars were also discussed. One of them showed four stars in a vertical line below the large golden star. This was dumped out of fears that it would suggest class incompatibilities and struggles. The other flag was very much the current-day PRC flag, but had the hammer and sickle in red, inside the largest golden star. The Communist icon was removed because the PRC would be a Maoist people's democratic dictatorship, not a complete mirror of a Communist state. The hammer and sickle in the flag, were it to survive, would also further complicate relations with the other four stars it represented (two smaller stars already represented the workers and the farmers; if the hammer (workers) and the sickle (farmers) were added once again to the flag, there could well be class inequalities.)
The usage of the flag is governed by the Law of the National Flag of the People's Republic of China . It is often raised to the music of the March of the Volunteers, the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China defines the flag in Article 136.
See also:
External link
- See http://www.info.gov.hk/protocol/textmode/eng/fnf.htm for the specification and standard sizes of the flag.
Last updated: 02-19-2005 19:45:15
Last updated: 05-06-2005 01:27:49
