Flag of the Republic of China
\nThe
Flag of the Republic of China is commonly identified as the
Flag of Taiwan because it is currently used on Taiwan. This is however technically erroneous and somewhat misleading because it was historically used on Mainland China before the Communist takeover in 1949, because the island of
Taiwan only constitutes part (though most) of the ROC's current jurisdiction, and because some of the current symbolism and controversy regarding the flag can only be understood if one remembers that this is not officially the flag of Taiwan.
It is commonly referred to in Chinese as
Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth (青天、白日、滿地紅 in
pinyin: qīng tīan, bái ŕ, măn d́ hóng).
History
The canton originated from the "Blue Sky with a White Sun" Flag (青天白日旗 qīng tīan bái ŕ qí) designed by Lu Hao-tung in 1895 to represent the revolutionary army, and later became the Kuomintang party flag and coat of arms. The "red earth" portion was added by Sun Yat-sen in winter of 1906, bringing the flag to its modern form.
In 1911, the "Blue Sky with a White Sun" Flag became the navy flag of the new Republic of China in Nanjing, with the national flag being a "Five-colored Flag" (五色旗) (a popular choice supported by the Senate) of five horizontal stripes that represents the five nationalities of China with the longest history: the Han (red), the Manchus (yellow), the Mongols (blue), the Hui (white), and the Tibetan (black). 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.
In 1913, as Yuan Shikai assumed dictatorial powers, Sun established a rival government in Tokyo and employed the modern flag as the national ROC flag, which he took to the KMT's new capital in Guangzhou in 1917. After the successful Northern Expedition, the modern flag was made the official national flag on December 17, 1928, 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 Cantonese Sun.
During World War II, the flag was used by both the Nationalist government in Chongqing under Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese-sponsored collaborationist government in Nanjing under Wang Jingwei.
The flag was specified in the Constitution of the Republic of China in 1947. In mainland China, the flag was banned after the Communist victory in 1949.
In October 23, 1954, the Law of the National Emblem and National Flag of the Republic of China (「中華民國國徽國旗法」) was promulgated by the Legislative Yuan to specify the size, measure, ratio, production, and management of the flag. The gist and the details of flag making described in this legal document are taught in the mandatory scout classes held in Taiwanese junior high schools.
Symbolism
In the "Blue Sky with a White Sun" Flag by Lu Hao-tung, the twelve rays of the white sun symbolize the twelve months and the twelve traditional Chinese hours (時辰 shíchen), each of which corresponds to two modern hours (小時 xĭaoshí, literal meaning: "little shi").
The "Red Earth" Sun Yat-sen added to the flag signifies the blood of those revolutionaries who sacrificed themselves in order to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and create the ROC.
Together, the three colors of flag correspond to the Three Principles of the People:\n* White represents people's livelihood, \n* Blue democracy, and \n* Red nationalism.
The party flag of the Kuomintang consists of the blue and white field of the ROC flag.
The flag has developed a great deal of additional symbolism due to the unique and controversial political status of Taiwan. At one level, the flag represents a clear symbol that Taiwan is not governed by the same government as Mainland China, as this flag is different than the flag of the People's Republic of China. Flying the flag of the ROC in Mainland China is officially banned, and while flying the flag of the PRC in Taiwan is no longer officially banned, it would almost certainly bring a bad social reaction.
At the same time, because it was formerly used as the flag over all of China, the flag has become a symbol of continuity with the ideals of the Chinese nationalism and Chinese reunification, and has become a symbol of a connection both historical and current with Mainland China. In addition, the flag is derived from the seal of the Kuomintang and the color of the field of the flag is associated with the KMT party colors.
Uses
\n
Olympic Flag]]\nThe ROC flag is not commonly seen at international gatherings in which the People's Republic of China (PRC) participates due to pressure from the PRC over the political status of Taiwan and resulting minimal political influence of the ROC in such circles. Instead, the ROC is usually represented under a moniker (usually "Chinese Taipei") and flies a flag specifically designed for the organization.
The use of the flag in Taiwan reflects the controversy behind its symbolism. Although moderate supporters of Taiwan independence, such as President Chen Shui-bian, will display and salute the flag on formal official state occasions, it is never seen at political rallies of the Democratic Progressive Party. By contrast, the ROC flag is always extremely prominent at political rallies of the pan-Blue coalition. This difference extends to the colors seen at the rallies. Rallies of pan-Blue coalition give prominence to the colors of the ROC flag, with very large amounts of blue and smaller amounts of red. Rallies of independence-leaning parties are filled with green, with no blue or red at all.
More extreme supporters of Taiwan independence, including former president Lee Teng-hui, have called for the abandonment of the flag, and there are a number of alternate designs for a locally Taiwanese flag. However, the prospects for this are not high given that changing the flag requires a constitutional amendment, that the current flag is a huge amount of support among pan-blue supporters and grudging acceptance among moderate independence supporters, and because changing the flag would likely trigger military action by the People's Republic of China.
The hoisting and lowering of the flag are accompanied by the National Banner Song.
\nChina\n \n\nzh-cn:中华民国国旗\nzh-tw:中華民國國旗
