Flag of China
Five-star Red Flag
The flag of China is red with five yellow stars in the top corner: one large star and four smaller ones in an arc beside it.
At a glance
- Adopted
- September 27, 1949approved on 27 September 1949 and first raised on 1 October 1949, when the People's Republic of China was proclaimed
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Beijing
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- red
- yellow
What it means
- Red: the Communist revolution
- Large star: the Chinese Communist Party
- Four small stars: originally the four social classes named by Mao Zedong (workers, peasants, small business people and patriotic capitalists); official texts today describe them as the Chinese people united under the Party
Where it came from
In 1949 the new government held a design competition and received about 3,000 entries. The winner was Zeng Liansong, an ordinary citizen from Wenzhou in Zhejiang province.
His first design had a hammer and sickle inside the big star. It was removed because it looked too much like the flag of the Soviet Union. The flag was approved on 27 September 1949 and raised in Tiananmen Square on 1 October 1949.
History
China's earlier flags were very different. The Qing dynasty used a yellow flag with a blue dragon from 1862. After 1912 the Republic of China used a flag with five coloured stripes, and from 1928 a red flag with a blue corner and a white sun, which is still used in Taiwan.
Fun facts
- Each of the four small stars has one point aimed at the centre of the big star.
- A popular myth says the five stars stand for five ethnic groups, but that idea comes from an older Republic of China flag.
- In 2020 the Chang'e 5 spacecraft unfolded a Chinese flag on the Moon, and in 2024 Chang'e 6 showed one on the Moon's far side.
- About 3,000 designs were sent in for the flag competition.
Easy to mix up with
Vietnam: Vietnam is also red with a yellow star, but has only one large star in the centre
Questions
What does the flag of China look like?
The flag of China is red with five yellow stars in the top corner: one large star and four smaller ones in an arc beside it.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of China mean?
Red: the Communist revolution; Large star: the Chinese Communist Party; Four small stars: originally the four social classes named by Mao Zedong (workers, peasants, small business people and patriotic capitalists); official texts today describe them as the Chinese people united under the Party.
When was the flag of China adopted?
The current flag of China was adopted on September 27, 1949. (approved on 27 September 1949 and first raised on 1 October 1949, when the People's Republic of China was proclaimed)
What colours are on the flag of China?
The flag of China uses red and yellow.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of China?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Vietnam. Vietnam is also red with a yellow star, but has only one large star in the centre
Famous landmarks in China
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)