Taiwan Flag

The Republic of China flag, also known as the Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth, and more popularly known as the Flag of Taiwan, is red with a blue canton bearing a white disk surrounded by twelve triangles. The symbols on the flag represent the sun and its rays of light.

The flag was designed in 1895 by the anti-Qing party Revive China Society, and Sun Yat-sen included the red field component in his speech in 1906. The flag was originally used as the Navy flag in 1912, and the Kuomintang made it the official national flag of the Republic of China in 1928. It was established in the sixth article of the Republic of China's Constitution when it was formed in 1947.

Since the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, the flag is no longer officially used in mainland China. During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan and Penghu, the flag was not flown until the ROC took control in 1945. Nowadays, the flag is largely seen in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other ROC-controlled outlying islands. The flag can also be found at history museums and war graves throughout mainland China, but its use is prohibited because it is considered a tool for subverting state power.

Some proponents of Taiwanese independence oppose the flag because it is associated with Chinese nationalism and serves as a declaration of resistance to the Kuomintang, but the Democratic Progressive Party and its leaders largely retain and use the current flag both domestically and internationally.