State Flag of Taiwan (1928)

The flag of Taiwan (formerly Formosa), officially called the Republic of China, originated from a Chinese nationalist political party, called the Society for Regenerating China, in the late 19th century.

What today is the jack of the Taiwanese flag, the white sun symbol on a blue field, was designed by Lu Hao-tung and first flown in Hong Kong on the 21st of February 1895; it was referred to as the ‘White Sun in Blue Sky’.

In 1912, the Kuomintang (KMT) or Nationalist Political Party was founded by members of the Society for Regenerating China and adopted the White Sun in Blue Sky as their flag. 

The Kuomintang became a leading part of the newly formed republican government, which had replaced the overthrown Qing dynasty in 1911.

In 1914, the current design of Taiwan’s flag was first adopted as a war ensign by the Chinese republican government.

In the subsequent years, the Kuomintang gained considerable political strength in their own right and by 1928, under the leadership Chiang Kai-shek, had unified the majority of China. 

On the 8th of October 1928 the Kuomintang government adopted the White Sun in Blue Sky placed on a red field as the national flag of the Republic of China. 

With the rise to power of the Communist Party of China in 1949, the Kuomintang, led by Chiang Kai-shek, retreated to the island of Formosa (Taiwan), setting up a government in exile and maintaining the symbols of their former nationalist government.

The Symbolic Meaning

Red is a traditional colour of the Han, the ethnic majority of China and represents sacrifice and fraternity, blue symbolises justice and liberty, while white represents equality and purity.

Together the three colours stand for the ‘three principles of the people’: Democracy (blue), Nationalism (red) and People’s Livelihood (white).

The white sun symbol has 12 rays, which represent the 12 two-hour periods Chinese people divide each day. 

The sun with its rays symbolises the continuing progress of the nation.