![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^9ss.gif)
image by Miles Li, 13 May 2015
Last modified: 2020-07-31 by ian macdonald
Keywords: china | chinese republic | sun | nine star | taijitu |
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image by Miles Li, 13 May 2015
Illustrated on the Shanghai Times, 19 October 1911.
Red with a yellow disc (specifically a sun) surrounded by nine five-pointed
yellow stars. Actual existence doubtful; possibly an erroneous depiction of the
Iron Blood 18-Star Flag, and perhaps based on the house flag of the China
Merchants Steam Navigation Company
(sometimes mistakenly thought of as the
Chinese Merchant Ensign) which was red with a yellow disc (specifically a moon
in that case). Fictional or not, this 'Revolutionary Army Flag' was depicted in
a number of patriotic graphics during the late 1911 - early 1912 era.
Miles Li, 13 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^9st.gif)
image by Miles Li, 14 May 2015
Probably first used by some of the revolutionaries in Wuchang
Uprising, 10 October 1911. White with a red and black taijitu (taegeuk)
bearing two white dots, surrounded by nine six-pointed black stars each bearing
a red dot. Proportions probably 1:1. Existence confirmed by a photograph taken
in Shanghai by Francisco Eugene Stafford (1883-1938). Possibly influenced by the
Iron Blood 18-Star Flag;
perhaps a prototype of the alleged Nine Star Sun Flag. A (possibly erroneous) version is already llustrated
as 'The Flag of Army Commander'
Miles Li, 14 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn-one12.gif)
image by Miles Li, 15 May 2015
An obscure design of naval ensign. White with a red canton bearing a
nine-pointed white sun/star. The illustration here is based on a photograph of
the flag displayed at the Navy's celebration of the first anniversary of Wuchang
Uprising on 10 October 1912. A version of this flag, with the canton being half
the length and half the width of the flag, and with the length of each ray
equaled to only half of the diameter of the disc, was illustrated on Jane's
Fighting Ships 1914 as (incorrectly) the 'Ensign' of China. Probably an
incorrect variant of the
official naval ensign ("Blue Sky, White Sun. All Field
Red"), with the canton possibly influenced by the
Iron Blood 18-Star Flag. Also
compare with the contemporary
unofficial naval
ensign.
Miles Li, 15 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^hash1.gif)
image by Miles Li, 16 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^hash2.gif)
image by Miles Li, 16 May 2015
In the winter of 1906-07, Tongmenghui (the predecessor of Kuomintang) held a
meeting of Chinese revolutionaries in exile in in Tokyo, discussing the design
for the future national flag of the Chinese Republic. Among the proposals was
the 'Blue Sky, White Sun' flag advocated by Sun Yat-Sen, and the 'Hashtag' flag
proposed by Liao Zhongkai and Huang Xing. The latter flag was red, with a blue
canton bearing a white symbol resembling the Chinese character 'jing' (井,
meaning a well). This 'hashtag' thus divided the canton into nine equal parts,
representing the nine ancient provinces of China, as well as the 'well-field
system' of land distribution in ancient China, which theoretically divided a
square of land equally into eight private plots surrounding a ninth, communal
plot.
Sun Yat-Sen despised the 'Hashtag' flag, seeing its symbolism as a throwback to
ancient feudalism; Huang Xing disliked 'Blue Sky, White Sun' flag, thinking it
too closely resembled the Japanese flags. To address Huang Xing's concern, Sun
Yat-Sen came up with a hybrid design, the so-called 'Blue Sky, White Sun, All
Field Red'. Nonetheless the debate remained deadlocked among the several
factions, and was eventually set aside until after the Wuchang Uprising.
On 4 December 1911, a number of provisional provincial governments'
representatives meeting in Shanghai elected Hunag Xing to the office of Marshal;
his original 'Hashtag' flag design was accordingly adapted as the Marshal's rank
flag. The same meeting also elected Li Yuanhong to the office of Vice Marshal,
whose rank flag was similar to the Marshal's but with a white canton and blue 'hashtag'.
The elections were neither recognized by provisional provincial governments'
representatives elsewhere in China, nor accepted by the men themselves.
The ephemeral titles of Marshal and Vice Marshal became extinct when Sun Yat-Sen
was sworn in as the Provisional President on 1 January 1912. Nevertheless the
Marshal's and Vice Marshal's flags were depicted in a number of patriotic
graphics during the late 1911 - early 1912 era, and were later used for some
years as the flags of the Zhigong Party (founded in San Francisco in 1925, now a
minor legal political party in PRC).
Like other Chinese republican flags of the 1911-12 era, the 'Hashtag' flags came
in a number of variations. Some had the width of each 'hashtag' stripe equaled
to that of each rectangle; other had the cantons in squares rather than
rectangular. The flag image here are based on an actual flag made in Tokyo in
1906-07.
Miles Li, 16 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^han.gif)
image by Miles Li, 17 May 2015
Also known as the Dahan (Great Han) Flag; used exclusively by the
Dahan Sichuan Military Government (established 27 November 1911 in
Chengdu, Sichuan Province; merged with the Chongqing-based Sichuan
Military Government, 2 February 1912). White with the Chinese ideogram
'Han' (the majority ethnicity in China) inside a ring, surrounded by
18 small rings (representing stars). Proportions possibly 1:1.
Probably inspired by verbal descriptions of the Iron Blood 18-Star
Flag. The image on Wikimedia Commons from which the
GIF is based upon showed an all red badge; however contemporary
accounts described the badge as having a red letter and eighteen black
rings, without mentioning the colour of the large ring.
Miles Li, 17 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^hash3.gif)
image by Miles Li, 18 May 2015
Use by the army of Chen Jiongming from its occupation of Huizhou,
Guangdong Province on 1 November 1911, to its arrival at Guangzhou on
29 November 1911. Red, with a square yellow canton bearing a white
symbol resembling the Chinese character 'jing' (井, meaning a well).
This 'hashtag' thus divided the canton into nine
equal parts, representing the nine ancient provinces of China, as well
as the 'well-field system' of land distribution in ancient China,
which theoretically divided a square of land equally into eight
private plots surrounding a ninth, communal plot.
Chen Jiongming took the idea of his 'Hashtag' flag from the original
'Hashtag' flag proposed by Liao Zhongkai, a fellow Huizhou native, in
the winter of 1906-7 (see above 'Marshal and Vice Marshal's
Flags').
Interestingly,when the Zhigong Party (now a minor legal political
party in PRC) was founded in San Francisco in 1925, Chen Jiongming
became its chairman, and the 'Hashtag' flags became its party flags -
the versions previously adapted as the Marshal and Vice Marshal's rank
flags, but not the version used by Chen Jiongming in 1911.
Miles Li, 18 May 2015
Does the Zhigong Party still use the flag/flags? And do other minor parties
use some flags, or is the Communist Party the only one with a flag of its own?
Tomislav Todorović, 18 May 2015
The Zhigong Party has not had an official flag since siding with the PRC in
1949. AFAICT the Communist Party is currently the only one with a flag of its
own.
Miles Li, 18 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^white.gif)
image by Miles Li, 20 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^whan.gif)
image by Miles Li, 20 May 2015
Used by various groups of Chinese revolutionaries since at least 1905, White
Flags - sometimes with Chinese characters written on them - were widely flown
during the early stage of the 1911 Revolution, and carried a number of meanings:
- It recalled the White Flag reputedly flown by King Wu of Zhou, who overthrew
King Zhou of Shang circa 1046 BC;
- White is the colour of mourning in Chinese culture, thereby symbolizing
martyrdom for the revolutionary cause;
- As White Flag is the international symbol of truce, it is flown in areas under
republican control as a sign of capitulation to the revolutionaries.
There were a number of variations of writings on the White Flags, such as 'Han'
(the majority ethnicity in China), 'Dahan' (Great Han), 'Xinhan' (New Han), and
'Guangfu' (Restoration).
Miles Li, 20 May 2015
![[War Flag of China Republic]](../images/c/cn^rocwc.gif)
image by Miles Li, 01 June 2015
Used in Shanghai and Hangzhou in Early November 1911. Red with a white
canton bearing a white sun disc with eight blue rays. Proportions 2:3.
Obviously an erroneous interpretation of the 'Blue Sky, White Sun, All
Field Red' flag.
Miles Li, 01 June 2015
