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Show CHINA'S NEW NATIONAL FLAQ Conspicuous by the Absence of tht Dragon, the Symbol of All- Powerful Emperor. The history of the national flag of the republic of China (Chiinghun Mlngkuo) dates bnck, nays the Christian Chris-tian Science Monitor, to 1012, when the (he-colored, or rainbow ling, was adopfv by tho republican government as lis national stnndnrd. During the existence of the Mmichu dynasty l lie ellow dragon was Hi national na-tional ensign of the Tittslng empire. White the jellow ground represents tho Imperial color, the drngm ajm-hollies ajm-hollies the personality of the emperor. Such Imperialistic sign was, of course, not adaptable to lepuhllenn Ideas nnd Institutions. On October 10. 1011, the revolution-ary revolution-ary war at Wuchang rnlsed as Its mil-tary mil-tary standard a dag of blue ground and white center, slgnlfjlng n white sun In the blue sky. A flag with five horizontal stripes of five different colors was, however, uod by the provisional pro-visional government, which was sot up at Nanking on January 1, 1012. Hut when tlu? north nnd south wero united on I'ebrunry 12 nt the nhdlcntlon of thcMnnclm dj nasty, the jellow dragon finally pnssed out of existence, nnd the rainbow, or fhe-colorcd Hag, became the nnttonnl ensign of the newly established es-tablished republic, representing the unity of the live great races which live vjlthln Its territory. The five colors arc red, yellow, blue, whte and black, representing respectively the Chinese (Hnnren), tho Mnnchus, the Mongols, the Mohammedans, and the Tibetans, Tibe-tans, The five stripes of five different colors arc nlso Interpreted to mean the five fundamentals of. Confucius, namely, name-ly, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, cour-tesy, wisdom and faith. The linloue font lire of the Chinese national flag Is that Its Ave horizontal stripes of five different colors signify not only, the unity hut also the cqiinll-ty cqiinll-ty of the five great races brought under un-der the republican regime. It proclaims pro-claims to the world 'that the citizens of tho) republic a" now firmly united under a democratic government, co operating to safeguard the Interests and promote the welfare of the Chinese nation. |