Flag of Taiwan

Meaning and history of the flag of Taiwan

Taiwan's flag, officially the flag of the Republic of China, features a red field with a blue canton in the upper left corner containing a white sun with twelve rays. The design was created by Lu Haodong in 1895 and adopted as the national flag in 1928, remaining Taiwan's emblem after the Republic of China government retreated to the island in 1949.

The white sun's twelve rays represent the twelve months of the year and the twelve traditional Chinese double-hours of the day, symbolizing the nation's continuous progress. The blue of the canton stands for freedom, justice, and democracy; the white sun represents equality and fraternity; and the red field symbolizes the blood of the revolutionaries who fought to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish the republic.

The flag's three colors correspond to Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People: nationalism (blue), democracy (white), and the people's livelihood (red). The flag is popularly known as "Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth." Its use in international competitions has been a source of diplomatic controversy because of Taiwan's political status, which is why an alternative flag is used at Olympic events under the name "Chinese Taipei."

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