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Flag Proposals of PR China - 1949

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 09 May 2016

Overview

See also:

Overview

When the Communist nearly got to power, they try to collect flag designs from the people. Later when the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) were deciding the flag in September 1949, there was a design more favoured by the members than the five-star flag: one similar to Vietnam's but there is a horizontal stripe running immediately under the star, which meant Chinese (yellow race), Hwang He (Yellow River), and a united front towards Communism.

But some did oppose this flag as they thought the yellow stripe could symbolize the "fruits of revolution being 'cut off' ('the red flag of revolution cut by the stripe"), and an ex-KMT even told that to Mao Zedong. Mao then asked Zhou Enlai to check about the tendency on the choice of flags. Zhou reported the "star and stripe" flag would gain enough support to get a pass -- it gained some two-thirds to three quarters' support, but then there were those strongly opposed of this. He thought that Mao should change it to a flag that can be supported for all, and recommended the five-star. Later in a occasion, where some CPPCC members went to see Mao on the flag affair, Mao openly recommended the five-star -- so it was no surprise that the five star got passed unanimously on 27 September 1949.
Samuel Curtis, 17 November 1999

Extracted from ChineseBusinessWorld.com:

Zeng Liansong was born in the city of Ruian of Zhejiang. In July 15 1949, he read the notice in People's Daily that the new Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was collecting the design for the new China national flag. He was very excited after reading the notice. He read it and read it again, and could not fall asleep for the ensuing several nights. He decided to give it a try. Then he had his big idea: "Why not have a big star with a Communist hammer and sickle, and several smaller stars symbolizing the Chinese people united around the Communist Party?" he thought. Then he began to think through the details. How many small stars should there be? In On the People's Democratic Dictatorship, Mao Zedong wrote that the "people" included workers, peasants, petty bourgeoisie and bourgeoisie. Thus, he chose four. The color should be yellow, bright against the revolutionary red backdrop. Yellow, he says, also implied New China belongs to the Chinese people, a "yellow race". Positioning proved a problem. First, he tried dead center. But it looked dull and heavy. Last of all, he tried the upper left corner. Suddenly, the flag looked quite different. The whole idea seemed to fall into place. He drew it out again and mailed it in mid August. The first session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, September 27, formally approved the design. Newspapers all over China published the design. Zeng was very excited and happy about the similarity, but he did not dare believe it was his own: The final design had no hammer and sickle. Then Zeng received a letter from the General Office of the People's Government: "Mr Zeng Liansong, your design of the national flag has already been adopted. We will give you a CPPCC album and 5 million yuan (500 new yuan), to thank you for your contribution to our country.

The same page has additional explanation about the latest adaptations of the original design before it was finally accepted and aproved. There is also a photo of the original design and several proposals of that time.
Valentin Poposki, 13 April 2007

Second proposal by Zeng Liansong

by Marcus Schmöger

First proposal by Zeng Liansong

by Marcus Schmöger

Reconstructed Chinese flag proposal

by Marcus Schmöger

Reconstructed Chinese flag proposal

by Marcus Schmöger

Reconstructed Chinese flag proposal

by Marcus Schmöger

[Note: the reconstructions are based on estimates by the author and may not be accurate]

In 1949, 38 proposals were selected at the final stage to make a Chinese national flag. Finally Zeng Lian Song design Proposal No. 32 was selected and modified to the current Chinese national flag.
Source: "Wuxinghongqi" (五星红旗 ) published in China 2002.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 19 December 2009

Proposal No. 1:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Designed by Xiao Shu Hua. The red flag with a yellow star in canton and yellow horizontal thin bar from fly end to beneath the star.

Proposal No. 2:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Designed by Xiao Shu Hua. The red flag with a yellow star in canton and yellow horizontal thin bar from fly end to the star point.

Proposal No. 3:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Designed by Zheng Kuo Du. The red flag with a yellow star in canton and yellow horizontal thin bar from fly end to hoist.

Proposal No. 4:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Proposal No. 5:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Proposal No. 6:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Proposal No. 7:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Proposal No. 8:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Designed by Guo Mo Ruo and drawn by Zhou Guang Yuan. The red flag with two horizontal yellow thin bars and a yellow star in canton.

Proposal No. 9:

image by Jaume Ollé and modified Kazutaka Nishiura, 19 December 2009

Designed jointly by Zhuang Ding , Zhuong Ling and Zhou Guang Yuan. The red, yellow, red horizontal three stripes with a red star in the center.