The Flag of Taiwan

The origins of Taiwan's flag trace back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, amidst the upheaval of the Chinese revolution against the Qing Dynasty. Initially designed in 1895 by Lu Hao-tung, a revolutionary and close associate of Sun Yat-sen, the flag's sun symbol was first used as the emblem of the Society for Regenerating China, a secret society aimed at overthrowing the Qing and establishing a republic. After the success of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, which led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China, the flag was adopted as the national flag on December 17, 1912. Despite the Chinese Civil War and the subsequent split of China into two entities in 1949, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) controlling mainland China and the ROC retreating to Taiwan, the flag has remained the symbol of the ROC and is now primarily associated with Taiwan, where the ROC government has been based since losing control of the mainland.