Proposed flag of Taiwan
Encyclopedia
Several proposals for a flag of Taiwan have been initiated by supporters of Taiwan independence
to replace the flag of the Republic of China
as the national flag
flown over Taiwan
. Supporters of Taiwan independence object to the use of the flag of the Republic of China
since it was designed by and is closely associated with the Kuomintang
. However, no single flag has been established as the symbol of the independence movement, and moderate supporters of Taiwan independence, such as the Democratic Progressive Party
, have accepted the flag of the Republic of China
for the time being and have not pushed for a new flag. The Flag of the Republic of China
in current use is defined in the 6th article of the Constitution of the Republic of China
, and amending the Constitution requires, since the 2005 amendment, a referendum under the following conditions:
Article 12 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (2005 reform) states that:
Thus, a wide bipartisan support is needed to change the official flag of the Republic of China
(Taiwan). Some supporters of Taiwan Independence seek the flag change as part of a larger change to replace the Republic of China Constitution that was imposed on Taiwan by the Chinese Kuomintang following World War II.
In 1996, a "New Name, New Flag, New Anthem" campaign was launched to rename the Republic of China
, replace the flag of the Republic of China, and the National Anthem of the Republic of China
, all of which were brought to Taiwan when the Kuomintang government retreated to the island in 1949. After a contest in which 187 different flags were entered, the "hearts-in-harmony flag" emerged as the winner. The green
field
was to symbolize the natural beauty of the island and the need to protect the environment; the white
in the Canadian pale
was to symbolize the purity of the people on the island and the desire to preserve the natural beauty; and the device in the centre was to symbolize four hearts in harmony, representing the four population groups on the island: aborigines
, Hakka
, Hoklo
, and mainlanders.
Some Chinese nationalists
criticized the design as being reminiscent of the Imperial Seal of Japan
where a chrysanthemum
is present and therefore a promotion of Japanese militarism
. The "hearts-in-harmony flag" has emerged as the most well known proposed flag of Taiwan, but it has not gained acceptance from the mainstream Democratic Progressive Party.
More recently, the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign
raised its version of the proposed flag of Taiwan in front of the Presidential Building
in front of a crowd of about 500 (mostly Taiwan Solidarity Union
supporters) on September 8, 2005—a date it proclaimed "Taiwan's Independence Day" to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco
in 1952 in which Japan
relinquished its claim to Taiwan
. This flag, which had been featured in smaller rallies elsewhere in Taiwan, featured three horizontal stripes in blue, white, and green and a red circle in the middle along with the characters "Country of Taiwan" . The flag was meant to symbolize history of Taiwan
: the red circle
to represent Japan, the blue to represent the KMT, and green to represent the DPP. That flag was unique in that other flag designs struck out the color blue altogether.
have held multiple mass rallies calling for a new flag, the prospects for replacing the flag of the Republic of China are not high given that changing the flag requires a constitutional amendment that implies wide bipartisan support and a referendum
under the conditions of the article 12 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China
; that the current flag has a huge amount of support among pan-Blue coalition
supporters and grudging acceptance among moderate independence supporters (not changing the flag of the ROC is one of the elements of the Four Noes and One Without
declaration made by President Chen Shui-bian
); and because changing the flag might cause political tension with the People's Republic of China
.
While green has emerged as the color of Taiwan independence and can be seen ubiquitously in pro-independence rallies, no flag has achieved consensus among the various groups promoting Taiwan independence as the symbol of an independent Republic of Taiwan. Unlike some other prominent separatist movements, Taiwan does not have a historical or local flag to be used as a separatist symbol. The flag of the short-lived Republic of Formosa
is unsuitable, since that republic was declared by Qing
loyalists and designed as a tributary state
in a failed attempt avert Japanese annexation
in 1895. The local flag of Taiwan, the flag of the Republic of China
, is unsuitable as it is already a symbol of Chinese nationalism
and associated with Chinese reunification
.
At rallies of the pan-Green coalition
, green campaign banners and party flags are commonly waved and the ROC flag is rarely seen, but the various proposed flags are never seen in unison. A dilemma arose when Lee Teng-hui was scheduled to speak at the National Press Club in Washington, DC in 2005: while National Press Club conventions would have called the ROC flag to be flown to reflect the nationality of the speaker, pro-independence groups objected to using the flag of the Republic of China
while the National Press Club's only other alternative, a Democratic Progressive Party
flag, was considered unsuitable as Lee was not a DPP member.
The hearts-in-harmony flag was a prominent part of the plot in the episode "A Change Is Gonna Come
" of the TV series The West Wing.
The hearts-in-harmony flag was used to illustrate the entry for Taiwan in a World Factfile supplement of the British newspaper The Guardian
on 25 April 2009. The entry also omitted using the name "Republic of China".
Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
to replace the flag of the Republic of China
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
as the national flag
National flag
A national flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the national flag...
flown over Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Supporters of Taiwan independence object to the use of the flag of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
since it was designed by and is closely associated with the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
. However, no single flag has been established as the symbol of the independence movement, and moderate supporters of Taiwan independence, such as the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
, have accepted the flag of the Republic of China
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
for the time being and have not pushed for a new flag. The Flag of the Republic of China
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
in current use is defined in the 6th article of the Constitution of the Republic of China
Constitution of the Republic of China
The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fundamental law of the Republic of China . Drafted by the Kuomintang as part of its third stage of national development , it established a centralized Republic with five branches of government...
, and amending the Constitution requires, since the 2005 amendment, a referendum under the following conditions:
Article 12 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (2005 reform) states that:
Amendment of the Constitution shall be initiated upon the proposal of one-fourth of the total members of the Legislative YuanLegislative YuanThe Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
, passed by at least three-fourths of the members present at a meeting attended by at least three-fourths of the total members of the Legislative Yuan, and sanctioned by electors in the free area of the Republic of ChinaFree Area of the Republic of ChinaThe Free area of the Republic of China is a legal and political description referring to the territories under the control of the government of Republic of China , consisting of the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and some minor islands...
at a referendumReferendumA referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
held upon expiration of a six-month period of public announcement of the proposal, wherein the number of valid votes in favor exceeds one-half of the total number of electors. The provisions of Article 174 of the Constitution [the previous method of amendment, via the National Assembly of the Republic of ChinaNational Assembly of the Republic of ChinaThe National Assembly of the Republic of China refers to several parliamentary bodies that existed in the Republic of China. The National Assembly was originally founded in 1913 as the first legislature in Chinese history, but was disbanded less than a year later as President Yuan Shikai assumed...
] shall not apply.
Thus, a wide bipartisan support is needed to change the official flag of the Republic of China
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
(Taiwan). Some supporters of Taiwan Independence seek the flag change as part of a larger change to replace the Republic of China Constitution that was imposed on Taiwan by the Chinese Kuomintang following World War II.
Prominent proposals
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, replace the flag of the Republic of China, and the National Anthem of the Republic of China
National Anthem of the Republic of China
"National Anthem of the Republic of China" is the current national anthem of the Republic of China .The Republic of China was recognized as the government of mainland China prior to 1949. Since then the Republic of China has controlled Taiwan and some other nearby islands...
, all of which were brought to Taiwan when the Kuomintang government retreated to the island in 1949. After a contest in which 187 different flags were entered, the "hearts-in-harmony flag" emerged as the winner. The green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
field
Field (heraldry)
In heraldry, the background of the shield is called the field. The field is usually composed of one or more tinctures or furs. The field may be divided or may consist of a variegated pattern....
was to symbolize the natural beauty of the island and the need to protect the environment; the white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
in the Canadian pale
Canadian pale
In vexillology a Canadian pale is a centre band of a vertical triband flag that covers half the length of a flag, rather than a third in most triband designs. This allows more space to display a central image . The name was suggested by Dr. George Stanley, and first used by Elizabeth II of Canada...
was to symbolize the purity of the people on the island and the desire to preserve the natural beauty; and the device in the centre was to symbolize four hearts in harmony, representing the four population groups on the island: aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
, Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
, Hoklo
Hoklo people
The Hoklo people are Han Chinese people whose traditional Ancestral homes are in southern Fujian of South China...
, and mainlanders.
Some Chinese nationalists
Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in a unified country known as China...
criticized the design as being reminiscent of the Imperial Seal of Japan
Imperial Seal of Japan
The Imperial Seal of Japan is a mon or crest used by members of the Japanese Imperial family. Under the Meiji Constitution, no one was permitted to use the Imperial Seal except the Emperor of Japan, who used a 16 petal chrysanthemum with sixteen tips of another row of petals showing behind the...
where a chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are of the genus constituting approximately 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe.-Etymology:...
is present and therefore a promotion of Japanese militarism
Japanese militarism
refers to the ideology in the Empire of Japan that militarism should dominate the political and social life of the nation, and that the strength of the military is equal to the strength of a nation.-Rise of militarism :...
. The "hearts-in-harmony flag" has emerged as the most well known proposed flag of Taiwan, but it has not gained acceptance from the mainstream Democratic Progressive Party.
More recently, the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign
908 Taiwan Republic Campaign
The 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign is an umbrella organization of a small activist groups for the goal of Taiwan independence. It is led by Peter Wang ....
raised its version of the proposed flag of Taiwan in front of the Presidential Building
Presidential Building (Taiwan)
The Presidential Office Building houses the Office of the President of the Republic of China. The building, located in the Zhongzheng District in the national capital of Taipei, Republic of China, was designed by architect Uheiji Nagano during the period of Japanese rule of Taiwan . The structure...
in front of a crowd of about 500 (mostly Taiwan Solidarity Union
Taiwan Solidarity Union
The Taiwan Solidarity Union is a political party in the Republic of China which advocates Taiwan independence. It was officially founded on July 24, 2001 and is considered part of the Pan-Green Coalition. Unlike the Democratic Progressive Party, its larger companion party in the Pan-Green...
supporters) on September 8, 2005—a date it proclaimed "Taiwan's Independence Day" to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
in 1952 in which Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
relinquished its claim to Taiwan
Legal status of Taiwan
The legal status of Republic of China is a controversial issue which stems from the complex post-Second World War history of Taiwan. Various claims have been made by the People's Republic of China , the Republic of China , and supporters of Taiwan independence over this question, with a variety of...
. This flag, which had been featured in smaller rallies elsewhere in Taiwan, featured three horizontal stripes in blue, white, and green and a red circle in the middle along with the characters "Country of Taiwan" . The flag was meant to symbolize history of Taiwan
History of Taiwan
Taiwan was first populated by Negrito, and then Austronesian people. It was colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century, followed by an influx of Han Chinese including Hakka immigrants from areas of Fujian and Guangdong of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait...
: the red circle
Flag of Japan
The national flag of Japan is a white rectangular flag with a large red disk in the center. This flag is officially called in Japanese, but is more commonly known as ....
to represent Japan, the blue to represent the KMT, and green to represent the DPP. That flag was unique in that other flag designs struck out the color blue altogether.
Prospects and consensus
While there is a vocal campaign to replace the ROC flag, and independence leaders such as Lee Teng-huiLee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
have held multiple mass rallies calling for a new flag, the prospects for replacing the flag of the Republic of China are not high given that changing the flag requires a constitutional amendment that implies wide bipartisan support and a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
under the conditions of the article 12 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China
Constitution of the Republic of China
The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fundamental law of the Republic of China . Drafted by the Kuomintang as part of its third stage of national development , it established a centralized Republic with five branches of government...
; that the current flag has a huge amount of support among pan-Blue coalition
Pan-Blue Coalition
The Pan-Blue Coalition 泛藍聯盟 or Pan-Blue Force is a political alliance in the Republic of China , consisting of the Kuomintang , the People First Party , and the New Party . The name comes from the party colours of the Kuomintang...
supporters and grudging acceptance among moderate independence supporters (not changing the flag of the ROC is one of the elements of the Four Noes and One Without
Four Noes and One Without
The Four Noes and One Without , also known as the Four Noes was a pledge by former President of the Republic of China Chen Shui-bian made in his inauguration speech on 20 May 2000 concerning the political status of Taiwan...
declaration made by President Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
); and because changing the flag might cause political tension with the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
While green has emerged as the color of Taiwan independence and can be seen ubiquitously in pro-independence rallies, no flag has achieved consensus among the various groups promoting Taiwan independence as the symbol of an independent Republic of Taiwan. Unlike some other prominent separatist movements, Taiwan does not have a historical or local flag to be used as a separatist symbol. The flag of the short-lived Republic of Formosa
Republic of Formosa
The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its invasion and occupation by Japanese troops...
is unsuitable, since that republic was declared by Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
loyalists and designed as a tributary state
Tributary state
The term tributary state refers to one of the two main ways in which a pre-modern state might be subordinate to a more powerful neighbour. The heart of the relationship was that the tributary would send a regular token of submission to the superior power...
in a failed attempt avert Japanese annexation
Treaty of Shimonoseki
The Treaty of Shimonoseki , known as the Treaty of Maguan in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. The peace conference took place from March 20 to April 17, 1895...
in 1895. The local flag of Taiwan, the flag of the Republic of China
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
, is unsuitable as it is already a symbol of Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in a unified country known as China...
and associated with Chinese reunification
Chinese reunification
Chinese reunification refers to the bringing together of all of the territories controlled by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China under a single political entity...
.
At rallies of the pan-Green coalition
Pan-Green Coalition
The Pan-Green Coalition or Pan-Green Camp, is an informal political alliance of the Republic of China, commonly known as "Taiwan", consisting of the Democratic Progressive Party , Taiwan Solidarity Union , and the minor Taiwan Independence Party...
, green campaign banners and party flags are commonly waved and the ROC flag is rarely seen, but the various proposed flags are never seen in unison. A dilemma arose when Lee Teng-hui was scheduled to speak at the National Press Club in Washington, DC in 2005: while National Press Club conventions would have called the ROC flag to be flown to reflect the nationality of the speaker, pro-independence groups objected to using the flag of the Republic of China
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
while the National Press Club's only other alternative, a Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
flag, was considered unsuitable as Lee was not a DPP member.
In popular culture
A Change Is Gonna Come (The West Wing)
-Plot:While preparing the upcoming China summit, the Chinese are insulted by President Bartlet's acceptance of a Taiwanese independence movement flag at a prayer breakfast. Charlie must try and return the flag, and CJ has to agree to stipulations the Chinese are making in order to mend fences...
" of the TV series The West Wing.
The hearts-in-harmony flag was used to illustrate the entry for Taiwan in a World Factfile supplement of the British newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on 25 April 2009. The entry also omitted using the name "Republic of China".
See also
- Taiwan the FormosaTaiwan the FormosaTaiwan the Formosa is a poem written by Taiwanese poet and clergyman Tīⁿ Jî-gio̍k , set to music between 1988 and 1993 by neo-Romantic Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao...
, a proposed national anthem for Taiwan - Flag of the Republic of ChinaFlag of the Republic of ChinaThe Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....