List of Chinese flags

This is a list of flags of entities named "China". 
__TOC__
==National flags==
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
 	1928–present	Flag of Republic of China 	. 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 in Taiwan and other islands under the control of the ROC. This flag can be sometimes seen in Mainland China, for historical and unofficial use.
 	1949–present	Flag of the People's Republic of China	Commonly known as "China". A red field, with a large yellow star at the canton, with four smaller stars to the right. This flag is flown in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
==Imperial flags==
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
 	1862–1890	The flag of Qing dynasty 	Azure Dragon on a plain yellow field with the red sun of the three-legged crow in the upper left corner.
 	1890–1912	The flag of Qing dynasty 	Rectangular variant of above flag.
 	1862–1912	Standard of the Qing Emperor	
== Special administrative regions flags ==
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
 	1997–present	Flag of Hong Kong	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. Although the flowers are bright pinkish purple in colour, they are depicted in white on the Flag of Hong Kong.
 	1999–present	Flag of Macau 	A lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars on a green field
==City flags==
As of 18 November 1997, the Chinese Government banned localities from making and using local flags and emblems.中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅关于禁止自行制作和使用地方旗、徽的通知 (Chinese Communist Central Governmental Notice to Ban Making and Using Local Flags and Emblems) Despite this law, some cities have adopted their own flag that often includes their local emblem as shown below.
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
 	May 1997–January 1998 	Flag of Harbin哈尔滨市市旗市徽制作和使用管理暂行办法 	A white, five-petal flower surrounding a snowflake on a dark green field
 	December 1995–present 	Flag of Suzhou蘇州市城鄉建設檔案館 	
 	December 1986–December 1997	Flag of Nanjing市徽图案废止后著作权的归属 	
 	March 2009–present 	Flag of Shangrao 	
 	March 2006–present 	Flag of Kaifeng 	
== Military flags==
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
 	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.
 	1615–1911 	Flag of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners 	
 	1615–1911 	Flag of the Plain White Banner of the Eight Banners 	
 	1615–1911 	Flag of the Plain Red Banner of the Eight Banners 	
 	1615–1911 	Flag of the Bordered White Banner of the Eight Banners 	
 	1615–1911 	Flag of the Bordered Red Banner of the Eight Banners 	
 	1615–1911 	Flag of the Plain Blue Banner of the Eight Banners 	
 	1615–1911 	Flag of the Bordered Blue Banner of the Eight Banners 	
 	1862–1890 	Used on Qing Dynasty naval ships for identification 	Same as national flag.
 	1890–1912 	The flag of the Qing Beiyang fleet 	Square version of above flag.
 	1888-1895 	The flag of the Fleet Commander of the Beiyang fleet. 	
 	1911–1928 	Flag of the Wuchang uprising; army flag of the Republic of China 	The banner of the Wuchang uprising of October 10, 1911, subsequently used as the flag of the army of the Republic of China, ca. 1913–28.
 	1924–present	Flag of the Republic of China Army (formerly National Revolutionary Army) 	The Blue Sky with a White Sun with a red border.
 	1924–present	Naval Jack of the Republic of China Navy 	Identical to the Kuomintang flag (see below).
 	1924–present	Flag of the Republic of China Air Force 	
 	1924–present	Flag of the Republic of China Marine Corps 	
 	1924–present	Flag of the Republic of China Military Police 	
 	1924–present	Flag of the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (Republic of China Armed Forces).	
 	1948–present	Flag of the People's Liberation Army 	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	Flag of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force 	The PLA flag with a green stripe at the bottom.
 	1992–present	Ensign of the People's Liberation Army Navy 	The PLA flag with 5 horizontal lines, 3 blue and 2 white at the bottom, representing the sea.
 	1992–present	Ensign of the People's Liberation Army Air Force 	The PLA flag with a blue stripe at the bottom representing the sky.
 	2016–present	Ensign of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force 	The PLA flag with a gold yellow stripe at the bottom.
==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. 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.《中华人民共和国国旗国徽国歌档案》,中央档案馆编，中国档案出版社出版,2009。
===Alternative proposal===
File:Mao Zedong's proposal for the PRC flag.svg|Mao Zedong's proposal for the PRC flag.
File:Zeng Liansong's proposal for the PRC flag.svg|Zeng Liansong's proposal for the PRC flag.
File:Proposal 2 for the PRC flag.svg|Proposal 2 for the PRC flag.
File:Proposal 3 for the PRC flag.svg|Proposal 3 for the PRC flag.
File:Proposal 4 for the PRC flag.svg|Proposal 4 for the PRC flag.
===Selection of proposals===
File:Proposed PRC national flags 010.jpg|Design by Ai Qing
File:Proposed PRC national flags 007.jpg|Design by Bao Qiquan
File:Proposed PRC national flags 039.jpg|Design by Chen Duo
File:Proposed PRC national flags 040.jpg|Design by Chen Lu
File:Proposed PRC national flags 025.jpg|Design by Guo Moruo
File:Proposed PRC national flags 027.jpg|Design by Guo Moruo
File:Proposed PRC national flags 028.jpg|Design by Hu Yuanqing
File:Proposed PRC national flags 030.jpg|Design by Jiang Dazhong
File:Proposed PRC national flags 008.jpg|Design by Kang Jian
File:Proposed PRC national flags 015.jpg|Design by Liang Congjie
File:Proposed PRC national flags 021.jpg|Design by Luo Wen
File:Proposed PRC national flags 009.jpg|Design by Mo Hongshu
File:Proposed PRC national flags 017.jpg|Design by Mo Zongjiang
File:Proposed PRC national flags 033.jpg|Design by Pang Xunqin
File:Proposed PRC national flags 006.jpg|Design by Wu Yuzhang
File:Proposed PRC national flags 011.jpg|Design by Wu Yuzhang
File:Proposed PRC national flags 001.jpg|Design by Xiao Shufang
File:Proposed PRC national flags 002.jpg|Design by Xiao Shufang
File:Proposed PRC national flags 004.jpg|Design by Xiao Shuhua
File:Proposed PRC national flags 013.jpg|Design by Xiao Shuhua
File:Proposed PRC national flags 018.jpg|Design by Yan Xinghua
File:Proposed PRC national flags 003.jpg|Design by Yang Taiyang
File:Proposed PRC national flags 043.jpg|Design by Yang Taiyang
File:Proposed PRC national flags 032.jpg|Design by Yu Zhuosheng
File:Proposed PRC national flags 005.jpg|Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
File:Proposed PRC national flags 038.jpg|Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
File:Proposed PRC national flags 029.jpg|Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
File:Proposed PRC national flags 020.jpg|Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
File:Proposed PRC national flags 012.svg|Design by Zhang Ding and Zhong Ling
File:Proposed PRC national flags 041.jpg|Design by Zhang Ding, Zhong Ling and Zhou Guangyuan
File:Proposed PRC national flags 016.jpg|Design by Zhang Ding, Zhong Ling and Zhou Guangyuan
File:Proposed PRC national flags 019.jpg|Design by Zhang Ding, Zhong Ling, Zhou Guangyuan and Xiao Shuhua
File:Proposed PRC national flag 014.svg|Design by Zhu De
File:Proposed PRC national flags 022.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 023.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 024.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 026.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 031.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 034.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 035.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 036.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 037.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 042.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 044.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 045.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 046.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 047.svg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 048.svg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 049.jpg|
File:Proposed PRC national flags 050.jpg|
==Non-state flags==
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
 	1895–present	Kuomintang flag. 	The "Blue Sky with a White Sun", 12 rays of the sun represent progressive ideals.
 	1921–present	Flag of the Communist Party of China 	Communist hammer and sickle
 	1946 	China Democratic Socialist Party flag 	
 	1929–present	Standard of the President of the Republic of China 	
 	1947–1986 	Standard of the Vice President of the Republic of China	Abolished with Act of Ensign of the Republic of China Navy (海軍旗章條例) on Jan. 3rd, 1986.
 	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.
==Historical national flags==
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
-
 	1862–90 	Flag of the Qing Dynasty 	Naval flag, quasi-national flag on international occasions.
 	1889–1912 	Flag of the Qing Dynasty 	Official national flag since 1889.
 	1912–28 	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.
 	1916 	Flags of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China. 	The version with the red saltire was more commonly used than the version with the red centered cross.
 	Mainland China: 1924–49 Taiwan: 1945–present	Flag of the Republic of China; Naval Ensign 	Naval Ensign from 1913 for the Republic of China. Not used in areas administrated by the People's Republic of China except in historical venues. Currently used as the national flag of the Republic of China.
 	1931–34 	Jiangxi Soviet republic flag 	Hammer and sickle along with Chinese characters for China Communist (Zhonggong, 中共) written in classical word order, i.e., read from the right.
 	1931–34 	Flag of Chinese Soviet Republic 	National emblem on a red flag.
 	1933–34 	Flag of Fujian People's Government 	
==Other historical flags==
Flag	Duration 	Use 	Description
 	1897–1914 	Flag of Tsingtau, KiautschouKiautschou Tsingtau 	Imperial War Flag of the German Empire.
 	1897–1914 	Flag of the Governor of TsingtauKiautschou Tsingtau 	Gouverneurflagge of the German Empire.
 	1897–1914 	Civil flag of Tsingtau, KiautschouKiautschou Tsingtau 	Reichskriegsflagge der Kaiserliche Marine of the German Empire.
 	1903–1930 	Flag of the Weihaiwei under British rule 	A British Blue Ensign with two Mandarin ducks standing on a beach.
 	1870–1876 	Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong 	A British Blue Ensign with a crowned "HK".
 	1876–1955 	Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong 	A British Blue Ensign with local waterfront scene.
 	1955–1959 	Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong 	A British Blue Ensign with local waterfront scene.
 	1959–1997 	Flag of the British colony of Hong Kong 	A British Blue Ensign with the coat of arms of Hong Kong (1959–1997).
 	1985–1999 	Flag of the Regional Council (Hong Kong) 	A stylized Bauhinia blakeana leaf outline in white, in the form of a diagonally-tilted capital "R", on a green background, representing the green of the leaves.
 	1960s–1999 	Flag of the Urban Council (Hong Kong) 	A stylized Bauhinia blakeana flower outline in white on a pink background, representing the colour of the flower.
 	1910–1941, 1945–1959 	Flag of the Governor of Hong Kong 	
 	1959–1997 	Flag of the Governor of Hong Kong 	
 	1670–1830 	Flag of Portugal, used in colonial era colony of Macau 	The Portuguese flag was used in colonial-era Macau, as there was no territorial flag.
 	1830–1911 	Flag of Portugal, used in colonial era colony of Macau 	The Portuguese flag was used in colonial-era Macau, as there was no territorial flag.
 	1911–1999 	Flag of Portugal, used in colonial era colony of Macau 	The Portuguese flag was used in colonial-era Macau, as there was no territorial flag.
 	1975–1999 	Flag of the Municipality of Macau, one of two local municipal governments.	A light blue field charged with the coat of arms of the Municipality of Macau. This was the flag used at the handover to China in 1999.
 	1975–1999 	Flag of Portuguese colonial Government of Macau. 	A light blue field charged with the coat of arms of the Government of Macau. During the Portuguese administration this flag also represented the Territory of Macau in the international forums, although it was not the official flag of the Portuguese colony.
 	1975–1999 (Not Official)	Variant flag of Portuguese colonial Government of Macau. 	Not official variant without the Kingdom of the Algarve castles in the coat of arms. This flag was found at the University of Macau in a photo of International University sports meeting and it was used in the parade. Although this flag was never used officially, some sports media used it instead of the Portuguese Flag to represent the colony.
 	until29 December 1928 	Flag of Fengtian clique. 	Used by warlords until Chinese reunification (1928).
 	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.
 	1940–1943 	Flag of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China. 	Used by the Japanese puppet government until 1943 when the pennant was removed and the regular ROC flag took its place. The pennant reads "Peace, Anti-Communism, National Construction".
 	1940–1943 	Flag of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China. 	Used by the Japanese puppet government until 1943 when the pennant was removed and the regular ROC flag took its place. The pennant reads "Peace, Anti-Communism".
 	1940–1943 	Flag of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China. 	Used by the Japanese puppet government until 1943 when the pennant was removed and the regular ROC flag took its place. The pennant reads "Peace, National Construction".
 	1845–1943 	Flag of the Shanghai International Settlement 	
Note that Hong Kong and Macau were handed over to the People's Republic of China in 1997 and 1999 respectively.
==See also==
* Flag of China
* Flag of the Republic of China
* Flag of East Turkestan
* Flag of Hong Kong
* Flag of Macau
* Flag of Tibet
== References ==
==External links==
*
China
Category:National symbols of China
China
 
Flags
simple:Flag of China