China Flag

China's flag has a red field with one large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller stars arranged in a curved arc in the upper hoist. The large star represents the Communist Party of China; the four smaller stars represent the four social classes (working class, peasantry, urban petty bourgeoisie, and national bourgeoisie).

Red symbolises the communist revolution and the blood of those who died for it. Yellow represents the golden future. The five stars together symbolise the unity of the Chinese people under the Party.

Economist Zeng Liansong submitted the winning design for the People's Republic of China's flag shortly before the proclamation of the PRC on 1 October 1949. The flag was raised for the first time at Tiananmen Square by Mao Zedong on that date.

The design went through several revisions — an early version included a horizontal yellow stripe — before settling on the five-star arrangement. The proportions and star sizes are precisely specified in national standards.