Part of the “History of National Flags” Series from Flagmakers
Flag of Taiwan - A Brief History
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Trivia
The flag flown today is the same as the one used in mainland China in 1919.
Technical Specification
Adopted:
1945
Proportion: 2:3
Design:
A plain red field with blue rectangle with white sun featuring 12 triangular rays in the upper left.
Colours:
PMS
Red: 186C
Blue: 301C
Brief History
In 1824 the Dutch formed a southern colony in Formosa, previous name for Taiwan, called Dutch Formosa. The
flag flown was the red-white-blue horizontal tricolour. Two years later the Spanish set up their own colony called
Spanish Formosa that used the burgundy cross as their flag. In 1642 the Dutch took control of most of the land
of Formosa.
The Flag of Dutch Formosa
The Flag of Spanish Formosa
(1624 – 1662)
(1626 – 1642)
The Dutch lost control in 1662 and the land became the Kingdom of Tungning and no flag was used at this point.
In 1683 the Qing Dynasty ruled Taiwan. The flags most associated with the Qing Dynasty are the yellow triangular
dragon flag and the rectangular yellow dragon flag with red sun disc.
The Triangular Flag of Taiwan under Qing Dynasty
The Flag of Taiwan Under Qing Dynasty Rule
(1862 – 1873)
(1890 – 1895)
In 1895 the Republic of Formosa was formed and a new flag was adopted featuring a dragon on a grey blue
background with blue steam and red fire. This republic was short lived when the Japanese took control of the
country in the same year. The Japanese white flag with red sun disc was adopted and flown until the Japanese
surrendered the land to allied forces in 1945.
The Flag of the Republic of Formosa
(1895)
The country became The Republic of China, also known
unofficially as Taiwan, in 1945. The flag adopted was a
plain red field with bleu rectangle in the top left and
white sun with 12 white rays.
The Flag of Taiwan Under Japanese Rule
(1895 – 1945)
There is negativity towards the flag from Taiwanese
nationalists. During some sporting events and the
Olympic Games, a different Chinese Taipei Olympic
Committee Flag is flown.
The Flag of Taiwan/the Republic of China
(1945 to Present Day)
The Emblem of Taiwan
The Emblem of Taiwan, also called The National Emblem of the Republic
of China, was adopted in 1928. It is a blue circle with white sun and 12
white rays. It is nicknamed the “blue sky with white sun.”
The Presidential Standards of Taiwan
The Standard of the President of the Republic of China features the blue sky with white sun on a red field with
gold border and gold fringing. The Standard of the Vice President features a blue sky with white sun on a red field
with a golden band on the top and bottom.
The Standard of the President of the Republic of China
The Standard of the Vice President of the Republic of
China.
The Flag of the Military of Taiwan
The Flag of the Republic of China Army is a red field with a rectangular the blue sky with white sun in the centre.
The Flag of the Republic of China Navy is a rectangular version of the blue sky with white sun emblem.
The Flag of the Republic of China Air Force features a winged blue sky with white sun emblem with rice and
Prunus mei flower. The Flag of the Republic of China Marine Corps is a red field with blue globe, gold map,
anchor and blue sky with white sun.
The Flag of the Republic of China
Army
The Flag of the Republic of China
Navy
The Flag of the Republic of China Marine Corps
The Flag of the Republic of China
Air Force
The Flag of the China Military Police
The Flag of the Chinese
Taipei Olympic
Committee
The Flag of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee features a white field
with a blue and red outlined Prunus mei flower in the centre with the
Olympic emblem and blue sky with white sun disc.
The Flags of the Divisions of Taiwan
Each divisions of Taiwan have their own flags. Here are some examples of those flags.
The Flag of Changhua
County
The Flag of Chiayi County
The Flag of Hsinchu
County
The Flag of Hualien
County
The Flag of Kinmen
County
The Flag of Lienchiang
County
The Flag of Miaoli
County
The Flag of Nantou
Country
The Flag of Penghu County
The Flag of Pingtung
County
The Flag of Taitung
County
The Flag of Yilan County
The Flag of Yunlin County
The Flag of Chiayi City
The Flag of Hsinchu
City
The Flag of Keelung City
The Flag of Kaohsiung City
The Flag of New Taipei
City
The Flag of Taichung
City
The Flag of Tainan City
The Flag of Taipei City
The Flag of Taoyuan City