China - Fact Sheet

National Flag: A red flag, with one large star in gold and four smaller stars arcing around the large flag. Proportions: 2:3.

PLA Flag: a red flag with a gold star in the canton, beside which are the Chinese characters for "8" and "1" representing the date "August 1."

Naval Ensign: A red flag, similar to the PLA flag with alternating stripes of two each blue and white in the lower third.

Adopted 1 October 1949.¹

Designed by Zeng Liansong.²

The national flag of the People's Republic of China is the five-star red flag. The red color of the flag is the symbol of the revolution, signifying that the political power of the People's Republic of China is achieved through bloodshed and lives laid down by countless revolutionary martyrs who marched forward wave upon wave in the heroic struggles for the revolution. In the upper-left corner of the flag there are five-pointed yellow stars, of which the big one represents the Communist Party of China and the four small ones the people of all ethnic groups of the country. One point of the big star points right up the flag and of the four small ones each has a point pointing towards the centre of the big star. This shows that the Chinese Communist Party is the force at the core of the leadership of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups who unite closely as one round the Party. With the color of the stars in yellow this means the great cause of socialism has a bright future. With the flag-staff painted white, that is to suggest flawless purity and loftiness.³