National Flag of the People's Republic of China (1949)

China, officially known as the People's Republic of China since 1949 (prior to that it was the Republic of China), is the most populous country on earth, with a population of over 1.2 billion.

The People's Republic of China officially adopted its current flag on the 1st of October 1949.

The flag was adopted after the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by Mao Zedong, gained control of the country in a communist inspired revolution.

The country's unseated government retreated to the island of Formosa (known today as Taiwan) and formed a new government.

The Symbolic Meaning

The red field of the flag represents the revolution and is also a traditional colour of the Han, the ethnic majority of China, connoting good luck.

The larger yellow five-pointed star symbolises the Communist Party of China (CPC), which led the revolution and the four smaller five-pointed stars surrounding it represent China's social classes: the workers, peasants, bourgeoisie and patriotic capitalists (capitalists sympathetic to the CPC cause).

One point of each of the smaller stars points to the centre of the larger star, this shows the country is united behind its communist leadership.

The five stars together also represent the geographical make-up of China: central China, Manchuria, Mongolia, Sinkiang and Tibet.