Flag of China

The national flag of the People's Republic of China is red with a length-to-height ratio of three to two. In the upper left part of the flag are five yellow five-pointed stars, one of which is larger than the others. The diameter of the circle it describes is three tenths of the flag's height. The other four stars have a diameter of one tenth of the flag's height and are located to the right of the large star. The flagpole is white.

What do the symbols on the Chinese flag mean?

The red color symbolizes revolution, and the five five-pointed stars on the flag and their interconnection symbolize the great unity of the revolutionary people under the leadership of the Communist Party. The five-pointed star uses yellow to show its light on the red earth. Each of the four small five-pointed stars has one tip pointing toward the center of the large star, indicating unity around the center.

The four small stars represent:

• the working class;
• the peasant class;
• urban petty bourgeoisie;
• the national bourgeoisie.

Mao Zedong mentioned them in his article "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship." Later, the official believed that after the socialist revolution it might no longer exist. After classes emerged to represent people of all ethnic groups, the meaning of each star no longer differs. The use of yellow in the five stars is related to the fact that the Chinese belong to the yellow race, but this explanation has not been officially accepted.

Who designed the flag of China? The designer of the Chinese flag

Zeng Liansong is the designer of the five-star red flag, the national flag of the People's Republic of China.
In July 1949, 32-year-old Zeng Liansong designed the five-star red flag in Shanghai. Among the more than 3,000 samples of national flags collected, his design was not taken seriously at first. After several rounds of selection, the five-star red flag was finally recognized. On September 27, 1949, the first meeting of the National People's Congress officially approved the five-star red flag as the national flag of the People's Republic of China. On September 27, 1950, designer Zeng Lianxun was officially notified that he was the designer of the national flag. On November 1, 1950, Zeng Lianxun received an official letter as written proof that he was the designer of the national flag.

How was the flag of the People's Republic of China created?

In April 1949, the People's Liberation Army of China occupied Nanjing and the revolutionary people began to design the national flag of the New China. From June 15 to 17, 1949, a preparatory meeting of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was held to formulate plans for the choice of the national flag. The sixth group of the preparatory meeting was responsible for this task. The meeting took place on July 4, 1949, and it was decided to invite newspapers to publicly present the national flag, coat of arms, and anthem, as well as to create a committee to select national symbols. 

In July-August 1949, various newspapers in China announced a competition for national flag designs for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Many people created various flag designs and submitted them for consideration. Thirty-eight designs were selected and submitted to the conference for discussion. Initially, the red star design concept was not accepted, but later became one of the options for the national flag. After selection, several categories of flag design were identified, including hammer and sickle on a red background, gears and stars, and horizontal or vertical color combinations. The five-star red flag was a reflection of Chinese characteristics, political orientation, and solemnity. Most people supported this design and it was put up for further discussion at the conference.

On September 23, 1949, the National People's Congress discussed the design of the national flag, but failed to reach an agreement. Some representatives felt that the four small five-pointed stars were unacceptable because they reminded them of the bourgeoisie. Initially, Mao Zedong and most representatives agreed to the design of one star and a horizontal yellow stripe on a red background, but then Zhang Zhizhong spoke out against the idea, believing that the horizontal stripe could cause a split. Mao Zedong held a symposium to explain the reasons for keeping the five-star flag on a red background and reached a consensus among the participants. 

On September 26, 1949, the National Flag Revision Group of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference approved the five-star red flag on a red background as the national flag of the People's Republic of China. Before the resolution was adopted, the flag design was amended and the meaning of the symbols on the flag was clarified. On September 27, 1949, at the first plenary session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a resolution was adopted to establish the five-star red flag as the national flag. This flag symbolized the unity of the Chinese revolutionary people. The flag has five yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing unity under the leadership of the Communist Party. The flagpole is white to distinguish it from the red color of the flag. On September 29, 1949, Narodnaia Gazeta published drawings and instructions for making the new national flag, making them available to everyone. On October 1, 1949, the first flag of the People's Republic of China was raised by Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square.