Flag of China

Meaning and history of the flag of China

The flag of the People's Republic of China, known as the Five-Starred Red Flag, was adopted on September 27, 1949, just days before the republic was officially proclaimed. It shows a solid red field with five yellow stars in the upper left corner: one large star with four smaller stars arranged in an arc beside it. The design was chosen from among thousands of proposals submitted to the government.

Red is the traditional color of the communist revolution and also holds deep significance in Chinese culture, associated with good fortune and happiness. The large star represents the Communist Party of China, while the four smaller stars symbolize the four social classes of the Chinese people according to Mao Zedong's doctrine: the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie. Each small star has one point aimed toward the center of the large star, representing the unity of the people under the party's leadership. It is one of the most recognizable flags in the world, and its design has influenced the symbolism of other socialist states.

You can view the flag of China in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full China profile, its map, or the current local time in Beijing.