List of Chinese flags

This article is about the flags used by various Chinese regimes. For the flags used in the Taiwan Area controlled by the Republic of China, see List of Taiwanese flags. For the current flag of the People's Republic of China, see Flag of China. For the current flag of the Republic of China, see Flag of the Republic of China.

This is a list of flags of entities named or related to "China".

People's Republic of China

National flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1 October 1949–present	Flag of the People's Republic of China[1]	A red field, with a large gold star with four smaller stars to the right at the canton. This flag is flown in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Special administrative regions flags

Main articles: Flag of Hong Kong and Flag of Macau

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1 July 1997–present	Flag of Hong Kong[2]	A white, five-petal Bauhinia blakeana on a red field with 1 star on each of the petals. The Chinese name of Bauhinia × blakeana has also been frequently shortened as 紫荊/紫荆 (洋 yáng means "foreign" in Chinese, and this would be deemed inappropriate by the PRC government), although 紫荊/紫荆 refers to another genus called Cercis. A statue of the plant has been erected in Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong.
	20 December 1999–present	Flag of Macau[3]	A lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars on a green field

Military flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1948–present	Flag of the People's Liberation Army[4]	A red field with a yellow star at the canton, and the Chinese numerals for "8" and "1", the date of the PLA's establishment on 1 August 1927.
	1992–present	Ensign of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force[4]	The PLA flag with a green stripe at the bottom, representing the ground.
	1950s	Jack of the People's Liberation Army Navy[5]	The red flag with PLA emblem and a blue stripe in the center.
	1992–present	Ensign of the People's Liberation Army Navy[4]	The PLA flag with 5 horizontal lines, 3 blue and 2 white at the bottom, representing the sea.
		Ensign of the People's Liberation Army Air Force[4]	The PLA flag with a blue stripe at the bottom, representing the sky.
	2016–present	Ensign of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force[6][7]	The PLA flag with a gold yellow stripe at the bottom, representing the flare of missile launching.
	2018–present	Flag of the People's Armed Police Force[8]	The PLA flag with three green bars at the bottom.
	2024–present	Flag of the People's Liberation Army Aerospace Force
	2024–present	Flag of the People's Liberation Army Cyberspace Force
	2024–present	Flag of the People's Liberation Army Information Support Force

Civil flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1949–present	Flag of Young Pioneers of China[9]	Red flag with yellow five-pointed star and torch in the middle.
	1922–present	Flag of Communist Youth League of China[10]	Red flag with encircled yellow five-pointed star.
	1950s–present	Flag of the Customs of the People's Republic of China[11]	The caduceus crossed with a golden key is added to flag of the People's Republic of China.
	2018–present	Flag of the China Fire and Rescue Service[12]	Bicolor flag in red and blue with the badge of the China Fire and Rescue Service at the top and the bilingual text "Flag of China Fire and Rescue" at the bottom.
	2020–present	Flag of the People's Police of the People's Republic of China[13]	Red flag with a blue stripe in the bottom and the badge of the People's Police in the canton.
	?–present	Flag of the China Maritime Safety Administration
	2021–present	Flag of the National Immigration Administration of China[14]	Red flag with the organization's logo and a blue wall.
	1945–1979[citation needed]	Flag of Inner-Mongolian Autonomous Government[15]	A red five-pointed star above a hoe and a horse pole that are crossed, symbolizing the unity of farmers and herdsmen in Inner Mongolia to for equal autonomy under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

City flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1997	Flag of Ningbo[16]
	1988–1997	Flag of Nanjing[16]
	2006–present	Flag of Kaifeng[16]
	2009–present	Flag of Shangrao[16]

Political flags

Further information: Emblem of the Chinese Communist Party

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1996–present	Flag of the Chinese Communist Party[17]	A red flag with a golden Party emblem on it.[17]
	1921–1996
	1927–1964	Flag of the Chinese Peasants' Association	Plough flag
	1925–1953	Flag of the China Party for Public Interest	Stylized "井" in canton

Flags of Political Groups and Separatist Movements

See also: List of political parties in China, Secession in China, and List of Hong Kong flags § Political flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	2008–2009	Flag of the Maoist Communist Party of China	Red flag featuring a portrait of young Mao Zedong on the top left.
	1989	Flag of the Beijing Students' Autonomous Federation[18]	A flag created by students present during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests.
	1997–present	Flag of the Inner Mongolian People's Party
	1959–present	Flag of the Central Tibetan Administration	Same as the previous flag of Tibet.
	1933–present	The Kök Bayraq, flag of the East Turkestan independence movement	First adopted as the flag of the First East Turkestan Republic (1933–1934). Now also used by the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile.
	1988–present	Flags of the Turkistan Islamic Party

Proposed national flags of the People's Republic of China

In July 1949, a contest was announced for a national flag for the newly founded People's Republic of China (PRC). From a total of about 3,000 proposed designs, 38 finalists were chosen. In September, the current flag, submitted by Zeng Liansong, was officially adopted, with the hammer and sickle removed.^[19]

Alternative proposals

• 
  Zeng Liansong's original proposal for the PRC flag^[20]
• 
  Mao Zedong's proposal for the PRC flag symbolizing the Yellow River^[21]
• 
  Proposal 2 for the PRC flag symbolizing the Yellow River and the Yangtze River
• 
  Proposal 3 for the PRC flag symbolizing the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Pearl River
• 
  Proposal 4 for the PRC flag

Selection of proposals

• 
  Design by Ai Qing
• 
  Design by Bao Qiquan
• 
  Design by Chen Duo
• 
  Design by Chen Lu
• 
  Design by Guo Moruo
• 
  Design by Guo Moruo
• 
  Design by Hu Yuanqing
• 
  Design by Jiang Dazhong
• 
  Design by Kang Jian
• 
  Design by Liang Congjie
• 
  Design by Luo Wen
• 
  Design by Mo Hongshu
• 
  Design by Mo Zongjiang
• 
  Design by Pang Xunqin
• 
  Design by Wu Yuzhang
• 
  Design by Wu Yuzhang
• 
  Design by Xiao Shufang
• 
  Design by Xiao Shufang
• 
  Design by Xiao Shuhua
• 
  Design by Xiao Shuhua
• 
  Design by Yan Xinghua
• 
  Design by Yang Taiyang
• 
  Design by Yang Taiyang
• 
  Design by Yu Zhuosheng
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding, Zhong Ling and Zhou Guangyuan
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding, Zhong Ling and Zhou Guangyuan
• 
  Design by Zhang Ding, Zhong Ling, Zhou Guangyuan and Xiao Shuhua
• 
  Design by Zhu De
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

House flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1984–present	House flag of China Merchants Group[22]
	1951–1984
	1960–1993	House flag of COSCO

Historical socialist states

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1931–34	Flag used in the Minxi Soviet Government [zh]	A red star and black hammer and sickle on the top-left corner.
		Jiangxi Soviet republic flag	A red star and hammer and sickle along with Chinese characters for "Chinese Communists" (Zhonggong, 中共) written in classical word order, i.e., read from the right.
		Flag of the Chinese Soviet Republic[23]	Red flag with the national emblem in the center.
	1933–34	Flag of the Fujian People's Government	A horizontal bicolour of red and blue and charged with a yellow five-pointed star in the center.
	1928–41	Flag used in the Qiongya Soviet Government [zh]

Historical military flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1931	Flag of the Northeast Righteous and Brave Army[24]	Red flag with the text "東北義勇軍" and a star.
		Flag of the Third Army of the Shandong People's Anti-Japanese Salvation Army[25]
	1927–1928	Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army[5]	Same as the 1928 version, but the left side reads "工農革命軍" (China Workers'/Peasants' Revolutionary Army). Divisions were added, for example "第二軍第一師" (Second Army, 1st Division).
	1928–1930	Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army[24]	Left side reads "中國工農紅軍" (Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army).
	1930	Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army	Same as the 1928 version, but the left side has no characters and the top reads "全世界無產階級聯合起來" ("Proletariats of the world, unite!").
	1930–1931	Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army[5]	Same as April 1930 version but top reads "全世界無產階級及被壓迫民族聯合起來" ("Proletariats and oppressed peoples of the world, unite!").
	1931–1934	Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army[5]	Same as 1934 version but with blank white left side and colored fringe around the edges (6 variants – red for infantry, yellow for cavalry, black for artillery, white for engineering, blue for logistics, green for medical).
	1934–1937	Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army[23]
	1937–1947	Flag of the Eighth Route Army (18th Group Army)[24] in use by communist forces in the Second United Front during the Second Sino Japanese War	National Revolutionary Army unit flag with text "國民革命軍第十八集團軍" (National Revolutionary Army 18th Group Army) on the side.

Republic of China

National flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	9 December 1928–present	Flag of the Republic of China[26]	Commonly known as "Taiwan". A red field, with a blue canton containing a 12-ray white sun. This flag flew over mainland China until 1949, and is presently flown on the island of Taiwan and other islands under the control of the ROC.
	1950–present	Flag of the Republic of China (vertical)	Vertical red banner; in the canton, a Blue Sky with a White Sun pointing upward on a blue field.
	1940–1943	Flag of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China.	Used by the Japanese puppet rebel government until 1943 when the pennant was removed and the regular ROC flag took its place. The pennant reads "Peace, Anti-Communism, National Construction".
			Used by the Japanese puppet rebel government until 1943 when the pennant was removed and the regular ROC flag took its place. The pennant reads "Peace, Anti-Communism".
			Used by the Japanese puppet rebel government until 1943 when the pennant was removed and the regular ROC flag took its place. The pennant reads "Peace, National Construction".
	1912–1928	First flag of the Republic of China, or "Five-colored flag"	It was widely flown even before the Republic of China in Shanghai and eastern parts of north China until 1928. The stripe representation: red for Han Chinese, yellow for Manchus, blue for Mongols, white for Hui and black for Tibetans. Later used by the Japanese puppet states of the East Hebei Autonomous Government, the Chinese Provisional Government, and the Reformed Government.
	1916	Flag of Empire of China.	The version with the red saltire was more commonly used than the version with the red centered cross.
	1916	Variant flag of Empire of China.

Regional government flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1911–1912	Flag of the Great Han Sichuan Military Government.[27]
		Bagua flag of the Shanxi Provincial Military Governmentzh

Standards

Head of state

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1988–present	Standard of the president of the Republic of China
	1929–1988	Old standard of the president of the Republic of China
	1927–1928	Commander-in-chief flag of the Republic of China (Beiyang government)

Vice president

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1947–1986	Standard of the Vice President of the Republic of China	Abolished with the Act of Ensign of the Republic of China Navy (海軍旗章條例) on 3 January 1986.

Other high executive officials

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1929–2003	A common flag for all ROC high executive officials

Military flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1986–present	Flag of the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (Republic of China Armed Forces)[28]
		Flag of the Chief of the General Staff (Republic of China Armed Forces)[28]
	1924–present	Flag of the Republic of China Military Police
	1945–present	Flag of the Republic of China Armed Forces Reserve[28]
	1946–2012	Flag of the Republic of China Joint Logistics Command
	1945–1992	Flag of the Taiwan Garrison Command

Army

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1924–present	Flag of the Republic of China Army (formerly National Revolutionary Army)	The Blue Sky with a White Sun with a red border.
		Flag of the Army commander
		Senior General's Flag
		General's Flag
		Lieutenant General's Flag
		Major General's Flag
		Colonel's Flag
	1911–1928	Flag of the Wuchang uprising; army flag of the Republic of China	The banner of the Wuchang uprising of 10 October 1911, subsequently used as the flag of the army of the Republic of China, c. 1913–28.

Navy

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
Naval ensign
	1912–present	Ensign of the Republic of China Navy
	1942–1945	Ensign of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China.	Used by the Japanese puppet government from 1 May 1942 until the end of the regime.
	1911	First Naval Ensign of the Republic of China
Naval jack
	1928–present	Naval jack of the Republic of China Navy	Identical to the Kuomintang flag (see below).
	1940–1945	Naval jack of Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China	Used by the Japanese puppet government from 1940 until the end of the regime. The pennant reads "Kuomintang".
	1912–1928	Naval jack of the Republic of China Navy
Rank flags
		Commanding General of Navy Flag
	1912–	Senior Admiral's Flag
		Admiral's Flag
		Vice Admiral's Flag
		Rear Admiral's Flag
		Captain's Flag
	1912–	Flag of the Bordered Blue Banner of the Eight Banners
	1924–	Battle Fleet Leader's Pennant
	1962–	Navigating Battle Ship Pennant
	1924–	Commission Pennant
	1912–	Duty Pennant
	1986–	ROCN Unit Flag

Air Force

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1981–present	Flag of the Republic of China Air Force
	1948–1981
	1937–1948
		Commanding General of Air Force Flag
		Senior General's Flag
		General's Flag
		Lieutenant General's Flag
		Major General's Flag
		Colonel's Flag
	1986–present	Air force units flag model
	1981–1986
	1962–1981
	1958–1962
	1948–1958

Marine Corps

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
		Flag of the Republic of China Marine Corps
		General's Flag
		Lieutenant General's Flag
		Major General's Flag
		Colonel's Flag
		Republic of China Marine Corps Unit Flag	In use since 1986

Combined Logistics Command

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1973–2012	Flag of the Republic of China Combined Service Force
	1964–1979
	1960–1964
	1958–1960
	1956–1958
	1952–1956

National Defense University

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	2014–present	Banner of the Military College of the National Defense University
		The banner of the Military College of Command and Staff of the National Defense University
		Naval Command and Staff College Flag
		Air Command and Staff College Flag
		National Defense Medical Center Flag
		Flag of Fu Hsing Kang College
		Chung Cheng Institute of Technology Flag
		Flag of the Higher School of Management of the National Defense University
	2000–2014	Old banner of the Military College of the National Defense University
	1968–2000	Old flag of the National Defense University

Coast Guard Administration

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	2000–present	Flag of the Coast Guard Administration of the Republic of China
		Flag of the Minister of Coast Guard of the Republic of China
		Flag of the Director of Coast Guard of the Republic of China
		Flag of the Nansha Commander of Coast Guard of the Republic of China
		Flag of the Director General of Coast Guard of the Republic of China
		Unit Flag of Coast Guard of Republic of China
	1925–1928	Ensign of Coastal Defense of Republic of China

Police

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1974–present	Flag of police of the Republic of China
	1947–1974	Flag of police of the Republic of China	Flag of the Republic of China defaced with the golden pigeon in the fly.
	1932–1947	Flag of police of the Republic of China.
	1912–1928	Flag of police of the Republic of China
	1974–present	Flag of National Police Agency
		Flag of Central Police University
		Flag of Volunteer Police of the Republic of China
		Flag of Director-General of ROC Police
		Flag of Commissioner of Direct-controlled municipality of ROC Police
	1932–1949	Flag of Voluntary Police of the Republic of China

Water Police

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1928–1949	Ensign of the Chinese Water Police
	1912–1928

Fire Service

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1996–present	Flag of fire service of the Republic of China
		Unit Flag of Fire Service

Rescue aviation

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	2005–present	Flag of the National Airborne Service Corps

Ministries

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
		Flag of the Sports Administration
		Flag of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications
		Flag of the Ministry of Education
	2014–present	Flag of the Ministry of Finance
	1950–2014		Previously used as flag of the Inspector-General of Customs during 1929–50. Green background with yellow saltire superimposed by "Blue Sky with a White Sun" flag.
		Flag of the Ministry of Health and Welfare

Councils

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
		Flag of the Atomic Energy Council
		Flag of the Veterans Affairs Council
		Flag of the Overseas Community Affairs Council
		Flag of the National Communications Commission
		Flag of the National Development Council

Agency

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
		Flag of Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau of the Republic of China	Not in use since Taiwan Area National Bureau merged into Freeway Bureau in 2018.
		Flag of Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Republic of China
		Flag of Bureau of High Speed Rail of the Republic of China	Not in use since Bureau of High Speed Rail merged into Railway Bureau in 2018.
		Flag of Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau, MOTC, Republic of China	Not in use since Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau merged into Freeway Bureau in 2018.
		Flag of Institute of Transportation of the Republic of China
	2014–present	Flag of Maritime and Port Bureau of the Republic of China
	2007–present	Flag of National Immigration Agency of the Republic of China

Civil and Merchant Ensign

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1929–1966	Civil Ensign of the Republic of China	Four serrated yellow stripes are added to the flag of the Republic of China for use as a civil ensign at sea. Present civil ensign is national flag.
	1935 – around 1949	Ensign of Chinese Fishery Patrol & Fishery Investigation Test Vessels

Postal flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1935–	Postal Ensign of the Republic of China
	1929–1935		The "Blue Sky with a White Sun" was placed in the canton.
	1919–1929		White flag with the Five-colored flag in the canton, bilingual text "Postes" in the lower hoist quarter, and a greylag goose in the fly half.

Chinese Maritime Customs Service

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1977–present	Customs flag
		Flag of Director General of Customs
	1929–1950	Flag of the Inspector-General, 1929–1950 and is still used by the ROC Minister of Finance until 2014	Green background with yellow saltire superimposed by "Blue Sky with a White Sun" flag.
	1931–1950 (In use by vessels until 1976)	Ensign of Chinese Customs (Nanking Government)
	1929–1931
	1911–1928	Ensign of Chinese Customs (Beiyang Government)

Salt Administration

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1929–1949	Ensign of the Chinese Salt Administration
	1912–1929

Yacht Club Ensign

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1966–present	Yacht Club Ensign of the Republic of China	Four serrated yellow stripes are added to the flag of the Republic of China for use as a yacht club ensign. Previously used as civil ensign during 1928–66.
		Yacht Club Burgee of the Republic of China	The Blue Sky with a White Sun in a burgee (pennant) form.

Sporting flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1979–	Chinese Taipei Olympic flag	The ROC is recognized as "Chinese Taipei" in the Olympics, due to the political status of Taiwan.
	2019–	Flag of Chinese Taipei used in the Paralympic Games
		Flag of Chinese Taipei used in the Deaflympics
		Flag of Chinese Taipei used in the Universiade
		Chinese Taipei volleyball flag
		Chinese Taipei esports flag	Used in esports competitions organized by Blizzard Entertainment.
	2004–2019	Chinese Taipei Paralympic Flag
	pre-2004	Chinese Taipei Paralympic Flag
		Former Chinese Taipei Football Flag

City and county flags

As of November 1997, 18; 27 years ago (18-11-1997), the Chinese Government banned localities from making and using local flags and emblems.^[29] Despite the ban, some cities have adopted their own flag that often includes their local emblem as shown below. The ROC-controlled areas continues to use the respective flags.

Provinces

The PRC-controlled mainland does not have provincial flags, but the ROC-controlled area has a flag for one of its two provinces.

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
		Taiwan Province

Flag	Administrative division		Adopted	Description
		Kaohsiung City	2010–present	Stylized "高". The colors symbolize sunshine, vitality, environmental protection, and the ocean.[30]
		New Taipei City		Stylized "北" in the form of four hearts arranged to resemble a four-leaf clover.
		Taichung City	2008–present
		Tainan City	2010–present
		Taipei City
		Taoyuan City	2014–present
		Chiayi City
		Keelung City
		Changhua County
		Chiayi County
		Hsinchu County
		Hualien County
		Kinmen County
		Lienchiang County
		Miaoli County
		Nantou County
		Penghu County
		Pingtung County
		Taitung County
		Yilan County
		Yunlin County

History

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1922–1949	Flag of Kunming[31]	The flag features the former city emblem which consists of two intersecting red circles which represent the harmony of sun and moon, as well as western and eastern ideas. In the middle is a golden stylized symbol of a 市 character.
	1981–2010	Old flag of Taipei City	Previous flag used by Taipei City, with its seal on top of 16 horizontal stripes of white and blue.
	1999–2006	Old flag of New Taipei City
	1980s–1999
	2006–2010
	?–2010	Old flag of Hsinchu County
	2018–2019
	2010–2018
	1951–2010	Old flag of Taichung County
	1978–2010	Old flag of Tainan City
	?–2010	Old flag of Tainan County
	1974–2009	Old flag of Kaohsiung City
	?–1999	Old flag of Kaohsiung County
	1999–2010	Old flag of Kaohsiung County
	1984–2014	Old flag of Taitung County

University flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1910s-?	Flag of the University of China
	1928–?	Flag of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Political flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
current
Link to file	2017–present	Flag of Taiwan People's Communist Party
	2007–present	Flag of Taiwan Civil Governmentzh
	2006–present	Flag of Hakka Party
		Flag of Sovereign State for Formosa & Pescadores Partyzh
Link to file	2005–present	Flag of Taiwan Independent Unionzh
Link to file	2004–present	Flag of Non-Partisan Solidarity Union
	2003–present	Flag of Taiwan Labor Partyzh[32]
	2000–present	Flag of People First Party
	1993–present	Flag of New Party
	2010s–present	Flag of the Patriot Alliance Association
	1993–present
	1989–present	Flag of Labor Party	Red flag with green pile reversed and yellow star
Link to file		Flag of Chinese People's Party
Link to file	1986–present	Flag of Democratic Progressive Party
	?–present	Flag of Democratic Progressive Party ward on the Matsu Islands
	1970–present	Flag of World United Formosans for Independence
	1923–present	Flag of Chinese Youth Party
	1921–1949	Flag of the Chinese Communist Party	Communist hammer and sickle. Used by the CPC during the Republic of China era.
	1895–present	Flag of Kuomintang	Blue Sky with a White Sun
former
	2018–2020	Flag of Congress Party Alliance
	2014–2020	Flag of Alliance of military personnel, officials and teacherszh
	2007–2019	Flag of Home Party
	2018–2019	Flag of the Taiwan Military (Junta) Government, a self-declared government led by Gao Anguo.zh
	2015–2019	Flag of Minkuotang
	2009–2020	Flag of Taiwan Democratic Communist Party
Link to file	2007–2019	Flag of Taiwan Farmers' Party
Link to file	1996–2020	Flag of Taiwan Independence Party
Link to file	1994–2020	Flag of Taiwan Communist Party
	1991–2020	Flag of Chinese Social Democratic Partyzh
	1946–2020	China Democratic Socialist Party flag	Stylized "井" in center
	1933–1934	Flag of the Productive People's Party
	1929–1931	Flag of Taiwanese People's Party (Active in Japanese Taiwan)
	1929		Influences:
	1925–?	Flag of Guangdong Peasants' Association	Chinese national flag charged with yellow plough in fly.
	1925–1946	Flag of the Inner Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
	1911–?	Flag of the Royalist Party	National flag (1889–1912)
	19th–20th century	Flag of the Yellow Sand Society	Solid yellow flag

Cultural flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	2018–present	Flag of Tao people	A white flag with the traditional "boat's eye" symbol and traditional triangular ornaments on the top and bottom.[33]
	2017–present	Flag of Rukai people	The "Lily Flag" composed of three colors: red, yellow and green, representing hope, love and peace. The lilies and eagle feathers represent the purity and fairness of the Rukai tribe, was designed by Jin Shaohua.[34]
	2017–present	Flag of Taiwanese indigenous peoples in Taichung
	2016–present	"National flag" of Amis people in the Amis Music Festival.[35][36]
	?–present	Flag of Amis people in Taidong (Falangaw tribezh)
	1984–1998	Flag of Taiwan Association for the Promotion of Aboriginal Rightszh

Proposed flags

Republic of China

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1906	Teo Eng Hock and his wife's proposal 1 for the ROC flag
		Proposal 2 for the ROC flag
		Proposal 3 for the ROC flag, later adopted as the flag of the Republic of China Army
		Proposal 4 for the ROC flag, later adopted as the flag of the China Zhi Gong Party
		Proposal 5 for the ROC flag, later used as the flag of the marshall in Beiyang government

Taiwan Independence Movement

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1955	Republic of Taiwan Provisional Government Proposal
	1994	Donald Liu's Proposal
	2005	908 Taiwan Republic Campaign's Proposal
	2013	World Taiwanese Congress Proposal
	2016	"Taiwan the Formosa" by Chih-Hao Chen

Railway flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
		Railways Ensign of the Republic of China	Also the flag of the Taiwan Railways Administration.
	1919–1951	Railways Ensign of China	Used in Taiwan from 1947 to 1951.

House flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1942–1972	House flag of China Merchants Group[37]
	1873–1942

Association flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1938–1947	Flag of Three Principles of the People Youth League
	1952–present	Flag of China Youth Corps[38]
	1937–present	Flag of Red Swastika Society
		Flag of China Sailor's Union

Warlords

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1933–1944	Flag of Xinjiang	Used by Sheng Shicai's provincial government in Xinjiang until 1944.
	1929	Flag used by Zhang Xueliang's troops	Captured by Soviet soldiers in 1929.
	1911	Flag used by the rebel force in Xinhai Revolution in Anqing
	1911	Flag used by the rebel force in Xinhai Revolution in Changsha
	1911	Flag used by the army led by Chen Jiongming
	1911	Flag used by the rebel force in Xinhai Revolution in Zhejiang
	1911	Flag after the victory of the Kunming uprising
	1911	Flag used by the Qing royalist force in Xinhai Revolution in Gejiu

Qing dynasty and other pre-1912 states

National flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1862–1912	Flag of the Qing dynasty	Naval flag and quasi-national flag on international occasions.
	1862–1890	Used on Qing dynasty naval ships for identification	Triangular variant of national flag.

Standards

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1862–1912	Standard of the Qing Emperor	Azure Dragon on a plain right triangle yellow field with the red sun of the three-legged crow in the upper left corner.

Military flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1644–1912	Flag of the Green Standard Army	Flag of the Green Standard Army. A green recolouring of the Imperial Standard of the Qing Emperor.
	1615–1911	Flag of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners	The Eight Banners was created in the early 17th century by Nurhaci to unify the Jurchen people into the Manchu dynasty. The first three banners were under the direct command of the Emperor himself.
		Flag of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners
		Flag of the Plain White Banner of the Eight Banners
		Flag of the Plain Red Banner of the Eight Banners
		Flag of the Bordered White Banner of the Eight Banners
		Flag of the Bordered Red Banner of the Eight Banners
		Flag of the Plain Blue Banner of the Eight Banners
		Flag of the Bordered Blue Banner of the Eight Banners

Navy

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1890–1912	The flag of the Qing Imperial Chinese Navy	Square version of above flag
	1862–1890	Used on Qing dynasty naval ships for identification	Same as national flag
	1909–1911	Flag for the Imperial Chinese Navy Secretary.[39]
		The flag of the Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet from 1909 to 1911.[39]
		Command flag for Imperial Chinese Navy Vice Admiral.[39]
		Command flag for Imperial Chinese Navy Rear Admiral.[39]
		Command flag for Imperial Chinese Navy Commodore.[39]
		Command flag for Imperial Chinese Navy Senior Officer's/Fleet Leader.[39]
		Imperial Chinese Navy Duty Ship Pennant.[39]
		Imperial Chinese Navy Commission Pennant.[39]
	1890–1909	The flag of the Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet from 1890 to 1909.
	1874–1890	The flag of the Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet from 1874 to 1890.
	1890–1909	Flag of the Commander (Tongling) of Torpedo Boats
	1905–1909	Flag of Provincial Commander-in-Chief of Beiyang Fleet
	1890–1909	Flag of Commodore of Beiyang Fleet
	1905–1909	Flag of High-ranking Official of Beiyang Fleet
		Officer (Junguan) of the Beiyang Fleet
		Flag of Minister of the Navy, or Admiral (de jure, probably not used)
		Flag of the Admiral and Fleet Commander, or Vice Admiral (de jure, probably not used)
		Flag of the Admiral and Squadron Commander, or Rear Admiral (de jure, probably not used)
		Flag of the Commodore, or Commodore First Class (de jure, probably not used)
	1890–1909	Flag of the Leader (Duizhang), or Commodore Second Class
Proposed
	Proposed in 1863	Ensign of Qing Navy
		Proposed in 1863 Commission Pennant of Qing Navy
Other
	Junk pennants	In addition to the typical flags, some Qing ships also used individual silk pennants.	The two pictures provided here are examples only.

Chinese Maritime Customs Service

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1867–1911	Ensign of Chinese Customs	A green flag with yellow saltire.

House flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1873–1942	House flag of China Merchants Group

Flags of localized regimes

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1860s–1885	Flag of the Black Flag Army	Flag of the Black Flag Army, a Chinese-Vietnamese army and guerrilla force that fought against the French in the Sino-French War. A black flag with a white 令 character.
	1895	Flag of the Republic of Formosa[40]	Tiger on a plain blue filed with azure clouds below it.
	1883	Flag used by gold miners in so-called Zheltuga Republic	Flag of the Zheltuga Republic as seen on the photograph and as written in the description ("black and yellow" flag "symbolizing the union of land and gold".
	1873–1877	Flag of Yettishar	Used by Yettishar until 1877.
	1865–1873		Used by Yettishar until 1873.
	1856–1873	Flag of Pingnan Guo
	1661–1683	Flag of the Kingdom of Tungning	The Chinese character "鄭" in a red circle outline on a plain white field.
	1624–1668	Flag of the Dutch Formosa	Flag of the Dutch East India Company
	1626–1642	Flag of the Spanish Formosa	Cross of Burgundy

Flags of the Boxer Rebellion

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	c. 1890s–1901	Battle flag	Battle flag used by the Yihetuan during the Boxer Rebellion. A red flag with a black square, inscribed with a red character 令 (pinyin: lìng; lit. 'command' or 'order'), inspired by the flag of the Black Flag Army.
	c. 1890s–1901	Anti-foreign flag	A type of flag used by the Yihetuan during the Boxer Rebellion, inscribed with the characters 扶清滅洋 (pinyin: fú qīng miè yáng; lit. 'Support the Qing and Destroy the Foreigners'). A contemporary French Jesuit's diary describes the flag as "yellow [...] with a black border."[41]

Flags of the Chinese Pirates

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	c. 1849	Reputedly the flag of the Chinese pirate Shap-ng-tsai or decoration confused with the ensign.	The flag is painted with a depiction of Zhang Daoling (34–156 AD), founder of Daoism as a religion in China. He is seated on a rock holding a Bagua (a symbol of Daoism) with a tiger or qilin behind him. A border of bats runs down the fly edge (a symbol of good luck).[42]

Banners described by Wujing Zongyao

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Banners described by Jixiao Xinshu

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Banners described by Wubei Zhi

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Banners present in old paintings

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Manchukuo

Main article: Flag of Manchukuo

National flag

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1932–1945	Flag of Manchukuo	A yellow field with the red, blue, white, and black stripes of the first flag of the Republic of China (see above) in the canton.

Standards

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1935–1945	Imperial standard of the Emperor of Manchukuo.	Used by the Emperor of Manchukuo.

Manchukuo Imperial Army and Navy

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1935–1945	War ensign of Manchukuo.	Used by the Manchukuo Imperial Army.
		Flag of Navy Minister of Manchukuo
	1932–1935	Flag of admiral of the Navy
	1935–1945	Flag of admiral of the Navy
	1932–1935	Flag of vice admiral of the Navy
	1935–1945	Flag of vice admiral of the Navy
	1932–1935	Flag of rear admiral of the Navy
	1935–1945	Flag of rear admiral of the Navy
	1932–1935	Flag of 1st class commodore of the Navy
	1935–1945	Flag of 1st class commodore of the Navy
		Flag of commander (2nd class commodore) of the Navy
		Flag of superior commander of the Navy

Government flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1935–1945	Flag of the Manchukuo Shipping Office.	Used by the Manchukuo Shipping Office.
		Flag of the Manchukuo Coast Guard.	Used by the Manchukuo Coast Guard.
		Flag of Manchukuo Marine Transport.

Police flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1932–1945	Flag of the Manchukuo Marine Police	Used by the Manchukuo Marine Police.
		Flag of the Chief of Civil Administration
		Flag of the Chief of Police Civil Administration	Used by the Manchukuo Marine Police.
		Flag of the Chief of Marine Police
		Flag of the Marine Police Senior Officer at Present Afloat

Political flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1931–1945	Flag of the Concordia Association.	Used by the Concordia Association of Manchukuo. Contains the Chinese characters 協和.
	1931–1943	Flag of the Russian Fascist Party.	Minor Russian émigré movement that was based in Manchukuo.

Other

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1932–1945	Flag of the Manchukuo Post	Postal flag of Manchukuo.
		Flag of the Boy Scouts of Manchukuo.	Used by the Boy Scouts of Manchukuo.
	1906–1945	Flag of the South Manchuria Railway.

Other Japanese puppet states

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1937–1938	Flag of the Great Way Government.
	1943	Flag of the New People's Society [zh].	New People's Society [zh] (新民會, "Xinminhui"), a collaborationist, quasi-political-party organization in northern China under Japanese occupation.
	1938–1940	Flag of the Reformed Government of the Republic of China.
	1936–1939	Flag of the Mongol Military Government, which became the Flag of the Mongol United Autonomous Government in 1937.	A vertical pattern of red, yellow, white as a canton on a blue field.
	1937	Flag of the Mongol United Autonomous Government (alternate reconstruction).	Reconstruction of the flag of the Mongol United Autonomous Government based on The Airpost Journal's description. It mentions "a square of horizontal red, yellow, white and black stripes".[43]
	1938–1939	Flag of the South Chahar Autonomous Government, also known as Chanan. Later merged with the Mongol United Autonomous Government and Jinbei to create Mengjiang	A vertical pattern of red, white, blue as a canton on a yellow field.
		Flag of the North Shanxi Autonomous Government, also known as Jinbei. Later merged with the Mongol United Autonomous Government and Chanan to create Mengjiang	A vertical pattern of red, blue, white as a canton on a yellow field.
	1939–1945	Flag of Mengjiang	A horizontal pattern of yellow, blue, white, red, white, blue, and yellow again.

Foreign concessions and colonies

Dalian

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1905–1945	Kwantung Leased Territory	Flag of Japan
	1898–1905	Russian Dalian	Flag of Russia

Tianjin

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1901–1917	Austro-Hungarian concession of Tianjin	Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy
	1902–1931	Belgian concession of Tianjin	Flag of Belgium
	1860–1943	British concession of Tianjin	Union Jack
	1901–1943	Italian concession of Tianjin	Flag of Italy
	1900–1924	Russian concession of Tianjin	Flag of Russia

Chinese Eastern Railway

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1932–1935		A combination with the flag of Manchukuo at the top and the flag of Soviet Union at the bottom.
	1928–1932		A combination with the Flag of the Republic of China at the top and the flag of Soviet Union at the bottom.
	1925–1928		A combination with the Five Races Under One Union flag at the top and the flag of Soviet Union at the bottom.
	1915–1925		A combination of the triangular version of the Five Races Under One Union flag and the flag of Russia, with the text "East Provinces' Railway Company of China" in Chinese.
	1897–1915		A combination of the triangular version of the flag of the Qing dynasty and the flag of Russia, with the text "East Provinces' Railway of Great Qing" in Chinese.

Hong Kong

Main article: List of Hong Kong flags

Macau

Main article: List of Macanese flags

Qingdao

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1898–1914	Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory	Flag of Germany (1867–1918)

Shanghai

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	c. 1917–1941	Shanghai International Settlement
	1863–c. 1917
	1849–1943	Shanghai French Concession	Flag of France
	1845–1863	British Concession in Shanghai	Union Jack
	1848–1863	American Concession in Shanghai	Flag of the United States

Weihai

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1903–1930	British Weihaiwei	A British Blue Ensign with two Mandarin ducks standing on a beach. Flag of Weihaiwei
	1899–1903	Flag of the Commissioner of Weihaiwei
	1903–1930

Zhanjiang

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1898–1945	Guangzhouwan	Flag of France

Secessionist states

East Turkestan

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1933–1934	Flag of the First East Turkestan Republic

Tibet

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1958–1974	Flag of Chushi Gangdruk	Used by Chushi Gangdruk, a Tibetan guerrilla group, until 1974. The group still exists among the Tibetan exiles and still uses the sword emblem.
	1959–present	Flag of Tibet	Currently used by the Tibetan Government in Exile located in Dharamshala, India
	1916–1951	Flag of Tibet (1912–1951)	Used by Tibet until 1951.
	1950–1951	Flag of the General Derge Se for the Tibetan Army

Misattributed flags

This is a list of incorrect or fictitious flags which have been reported on as being factual and/or historical flags by contemporary or otherwise reputable sources or popularized on the Internet.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
Mistakes in historical sources
	19th century	Incorrect image of the Qing flag in the Western publication.	The dragon bears a resemblance to the one on the Flag of Wales.
	20th century	Alleged pre-1912 Tibetan flag	Fictitious flag appearing on a collector card from a chocolate manufacturer featuring the palace of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa in the early 20th century. Identical to Chinese Merchant Group flag.
	1935–1938	Alleged flag of the East Hebei Autonomous Government	Erroneous flag appearing in a postcard published by Parliamentary Secretary Yin of the Jitong Defense Joint Self-Government in Hebei. The blue and yellow banners are switched due to erroneous coloring. Identical to Provincial Commander-in-Chief of Beiyang Fleet flag.
Historical fiction
	7th Century (de facto 1990s)	Alleged flag of The Tibetan Empire	A modern interpretation of an uncertain standard of the Tibetan Emperor, Songtsen Gampo.
	21st century	Flag allegedly representing the Tang dynasty on the internet. Similar flags are attributed to other dynasties.
		Flags allegedly representing the Mongol Empire or Yuan dynasty on the internet.
			A white Soyombo on a blue background.
		The "Sun Moon Flag", attributed to the Ming dynasty	Improperly used both on the internet and in real life.[44]
		Another variant of the Ming dynasty Flag
	1931–1945 (de facto 21st century)	Flag of the Concordia Association.	Contains the Manchu text ᠰᡳᡝᡥᠣᡥᡠᡳ. The Manchu version has never been used.
	?	Alleged flag of the pirate Gan Ning.	Various flags containing a bell are assigned to a pirate on the Internet.
	?	Alleged flag of the pirate Ching Shih.
Fictional ethnic flags
	2000s	Flag of the Han Chinese. Created by unknown Internet user in 2000s and used by some Han nationalist netizens since then. This flag has also been used to represent the Han Dynasty in some historical reenactments.[45]	The loong symbol is from Qinglong Wadang manufactured in Han dynasty, collected in Xi'an museum.
	around 2012	Flag of the Zhuang people. The project was created by Leonardo Piccioni de Almeida and gained some popularity among Internet users criticizing the PRC. PRC law prohibits the use of cultural flags. Some websites use this flag to represent the Zhuang language.
		Flag of the Yi people. The project was created by Leonardo Piccioni de Almeida and gained some popularity among Internet users criticizing the PRC. PRC law prohibits the use of cultural flags. Some websites use this flag to represent the Yi language.
	21st century	Flag of the Salar people. Tamga of the Salur tribe is actually used, but there is no evidence that it is used as a flag. PRC law prohibits the use of cultural flags. Some websites use this flag to represent the Salar language.
		Flag of the Li people.[citation needed] A similar flag is used by the Kachin Independence Army in Myanmar
Other
	?	Proposed tricolour flag for Chaoshan (East Cantonia), China, to be used by autonomist activists
	20th–21st century	Xiang separatist movement flag.	Used by the Hunan independence movement.

In 2012, Vietnam mistakenly used the 6-star flag for China (1 big and 5 small stars) during the visit of the President of China.^{[46][47][48][49]}

See also

• Flag of China
• Flag of the Republic of China
• Flag of the Qing dynasty
• List of Taiwanese flags
• Flag of East Turkestan
• List of Hong Kong flags
• List of Macanese flags
• Flag of Tibet
• Proposed flags of Taiwan