Flag of the People's Republic of China

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, an economist and artist from Ruian (瑞安 ruì 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 more than 3,000 entries received for the design competition, Zeng's was chosen after being nominated as one of the 38 finalists. Mao Zedong hoisted the first flag on a pole overlooking Tiananmen Square on the day of its unveiling.

The design uses red as its background and bright yellow for its stars. The larger star symbolizes the leadership of the Communist Party of China. 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 contained several alterations in comparison with the modern-day flag.

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 (Yellow River) and the Zhujiang River (Pearl River). They were not chosen by the officials, however, because the very presence of these bars appeared to suggest the idea of a tearing or splitting 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 rejected 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 leadership, 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. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China defines the flag in Article 136.

See also

• List of Chinese flags
• Emblem of the People's Republic of China
• Flag of the Republic of China
• Red Flag
• Flags of the PRC's Special Administrative Regions:
  • Flag of Hong Kong
  • Flag of Macau

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