Flag of the Qing dynasty

Qing Dynasty


Name	Yellow Dragon Flag (黃龍旗)
Use	National flag and ensign
Proportion	5:8
Adopted	1889
Design	Blue dragon on plain yellow, with a red pearl at the upper left corner.

Variant flag of national flag Qing Dynasty
Name	Early version of Yellow Dragon Flag
Use	State and war flag, state and naval ensign
Proportion	2:3^[1]
Adopted	1862

The flag of the Qing dynasty was an emblem adopted in the late 19th century featuring the Azure Dragon on a plain yellow field with the red flaming pearl of the three-legged crow in the upper left corner. It became the first national flag of China and is usually referred to as the "Yellow Dragon Flag" (simplified Chinese: 黄龙旗; traditional Chinese: 黃龍旗; pinyin: huáng lóng qí).

Ruling China from 1644 until the overthrow of the monarchy during the Xinhai Revolution, the Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty in China's history. Between 1889 and 1912, the dynasty represented itself with the dragon flag.

Design

Variant of first Yellow Dragon Flag, with traditional border decorations.

Throughout the history of China's imperial dynasties, yellow was considered the royal color of successive Chinese emperors. The legendary first emperor of China was known as the Yellow Emperor (Chinese: 黃帝, Simplified Chinese: 黄帝). Members of the imperial family of China at that time were the only ones allowed to display the color yellow in buildings and on garments. The Emperor of China usually used a Chinese dragon as a symbol of his imperial power and strength. Generally, a five-clawed dragon was used for emperors only.

In Chinese culture, a flaming pearl is shown on top of the dragon's head. The pearl is associated with wealth, good luck, and prosperity.

The design of the flag was largely based on the Plain Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners.^[2]

Triangular version (1862-1889)

Plain Yellow Banner in Eight Banners

The Arrow Incident of 1856 occurred as a result of Chinese civilian vessels flying foreign flags as the Qing dynasty had no official flag at the time.^[3] In 1862, sailors from the Chinese and British navies clashed at Wuhan on the Yangtze River. In response to the British navy's claim of being unable to distinguish between Chinese governmental or navy ships and civilian vessels, Yixin (Prince Gong) urged Zeng Guofan to create a governmental flag for the Qing, and suggested use of a yellow dragon flag, which was also used as one of the Eight Banners of the Manchu as well as in the Chinese army. After due consideration, Zeng Guofan concluded that a square flag bore too close a resemblance to the Plain Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners with the potential to be viewed as an endorsement of the Eight Banners hierarchy, he instead removed one corner to create a triangular flag.^[2]

The triangular version of the yellow dragon flag was restricted to naval and governmental use only, no civilian ships were permitted to fly the yellow pennant, and it never became the national flag.^[4] However, on some diplomatic occasions and at international exhibitions, this flag was used to represent China.

Rectangular version (1889-1912)

In September 1881, when the two cruisers Chaoyong and Yangwei ordered from Birkenhead, England were sent to China, Li Hongzhang realized a triangular ensign was unique among naval flags of other countries. As a result, he petitioned the imperial court for permission and subsequently altered the triangular naval flag into a rectangular one.^[5]

Seeing Western countries flying national flags on official occasions, Li Hongzhang also asked Empress Dowager Cixi to select a national flag for the Qing dynasty. Among the proposals for use of the Ba gua flag, the Yellow dragon flag and the Qilin flag, Cixi selected the Yellow dragon design. In 1888, the imperial court promulgated the naval flag as the Qing national flag.^[6]

Influence

The notion of yellow as representative of Manchu ethnicity was used in the flags of the Five-coloured flag of the Republic of China and on the flag of the Empire of China, although in 1912 the former was challenged by Sun Yat-sen, who thought it inappropriate to use the traditional imperial color to represent Manchu ethnicity.^[7] Also, mustard yellow was used in the flag of Manchukuo in deference to the Qing dynasty, on whose flag it was based.

The blue dragon was featured in the Twelve Symbols national emblem, which was the state emblem of China from 1913-1928.

Flags based on Qing dynasty flag

Navy of Qing dynasty

Navy of Qing dynasty adopted the national flag in the canton of naval flags in 1909.^[8]

Secretary's Flag

Admiral's Flag

Vice Admiral's Flag

Rear Admiral's Flag

Senior Officer's Flag

Fleet Leader's Flag

Chinese Eastern Railway

Flag of Chinese Eastern Railway adopted a combination of Qing dynasty and Russian flags. The flag was not updated until 1915.^[9]

Flag of the Chinese Eastern Railway (1897-1915)

References

↑ Dimension of first yellow dragon flag from Wuhan Custom Archive
1 2 施爱东 (Shi Aidong) (2011). Qing dragon flag flourished through 50 years of sorrow (哀旗不幸怒旗不争大清龙旗50年). 民族艺术. p. 6. (Chinese)
↑ 肖吟新 (Xiao Yinxin) (2002). The story of the Qing dynasty national flag (清代国旗的故事). 世纪. p. 63. (Chinese)
↑ "係為雇船捕盜而用，並未奏明定為萬年國旗", "[the flag] is used for ferry and policing, but is not explicitly designated as the permanent national flag", from 《北洋水師章程》(Regulations of the Beiyang Fleet) (Chinese)
↑ "今中國兵商各船日益加增，時與各國交接，自應重定旗式，以祟體制。應將兵船國旗改為長方式，照舊黃色，中畫青色飛龍。", "Nowadays the number of both Chinese military and commercial ships is growing. When our ships meet those of other nations they should display a flag based on a conformed system. [The government] should change the military flag to a pennant with an azure dragon in the middle",《北洋水師章程》(Regulations of the Beiyang Fleet) (Chinese)
↑ 《清朝国旗考》(Study on the Flag of Qing), 育民 (Chinese)
↑ "Story of the National Flag, official website of the Kuomintang". Retrieved 11 February 2014. (Chinese)
↑ Source: 北京故宮《海軍旗式及章服圖說》 ("Illustration of Naval flags and Uniforms", Palace Museum, Beijing, China)
↑ Chinese Eastern Railway Company (China)

External links

Media related to Flags of the Qing Dynasty at Wikimedia Commons

Qing dynasty topics

History	Seven Grievances First Manchu invasion of Korea Second Manchu invasion of Korea Qing conquest of the Ming Battle of Shanhai Pass Great Clearance Revolt of the Three Feudatories Sino-Russian border conflicts Dzungar–Qing War Chinese expedition to Tibet (1720) Chinese Rites controversy Ten Great Campaigns Miao Rebellion (1735–36) Lhasa riot of 1750 Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa Sino-Nepalese War Miao Rebellion (1795–1806) White Lotus Rebellion First Opium War Sino-Sikh War Taiping Rebellion Nian Rebellion Red Turban Rebellion (1854–56) Miao Rebellion (1854–73) Nepalese–Tibetan War Panthay Rebellion Second Opium War Amur Acquisition Self-Strengthening Movement Dungan Revolt (1862–77) Mudan Incident (1871) Tianjin Massacre Margary Affair Northern Chinese Famine Qing reconquest of Xinjiang Sino-French War Sikkim Expedition Jindandao Incident First Sino-Japanese War Gongche Shangshu movement Dungan Revolt (1895–96) Hundred Days' Reform Boxer Rebellion Red Lanterns Eight-Nation Alliance New Policies British expedition to Tibet 1905 Tibetan Rebellion Chinese expedition to Tibet (1910) Railway Protection Movement Xinhai Revolution Wuchang Uprising Xinhai Lhasa turmoil Mongolian Revolution of 1911 Xinhai Revolution in Xinjiang Manchu Restoration

Government	Emperor List Family tree Amban Cup of Solid Gold Deliberative Council Flag of the Qing dynasty Grand Council Great Qing Legal Code Imperial Clan Court Imperial Commissioner Imperial Household Department Lifan Yuan Ministry of Posts and Communications Nine Gates Infantry Commander Provincial governor Provincial military commander Qinding Xianfa Dagang Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty Viceroys Zhili Shaan-Gan Liangjiang Huguang Sichuan Min-Zhe Liangguang Yun-Gui Three Northeast Provinces Zongli Yamen

Military	Military of the Qing dynasty Beiyang Army Chu Army Eight Banners Ever Victorious Army Green Standard Army Huai Army Hushenying Imperial Guards Brigade New Army Peking Field Force Shuishiying Wuwei Corps Xiang Army Manchuria under Qing rule Mongolia under Qing rule Administrative divisions Qing dynasty in Inner Asia Taiwan under Qing rule Provincial Administration Hall Tibet under Qing rule Golden Urn List of imperial residents Xinjiang under Qing rule General of Ili

Palaces & mausoleums	Chengde Mountain Resort Forbidden City Mukden Palace Old Summer Palace Summer Palace Eastern Qing tombs Fuling Tomb Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Western Qing tombs

Society & culture	Booi Aha Changzhou School of Thought Dibao Four Wangs Gujin Tushu Jicheng History of Ming Islam during the Qing dynasty Kangxi Dictionary Kaozheng Literary Inquisition Manchu Han Imperial Feast Peiwen Yunfu Pentaglot Dictionary Qing official headwear Qing poetry Quan Tangshi Queue Researches on Manchu Origins Sacred Edict of the Kangxi Emperor Shamanism in the Qing dynasty Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao

Treaties	Treaty of Kyakhta (1727) Treaty of Nerchinsk Unequal treaty Boxer Protocol Burlingame Treaty Chefoo Convention Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory Convention of Peking Convention of Tientsin Li–Lobanov Treaty Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking Treaty of Aigun Treaty of the Bogue Treaty of Canton Treaty of Kulja Treaty of Nanking Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881) Treaty of Shimonoseki Treaty of Tarbagatai Treaty of Tientsin Treaty of Wanghia Treaty of Whampoa

Other topics	Aisin Gioro Anti-Qing sentiment Canton System Chuang Guandong Draft History of Qing Imperial hunt of the Qing dynasty Manchu people Names of the Qing dynasty New Qing History Qing conquest theory Timeline of late anti-Qing rebellions Treaty ports Willow Palisade

Xia → Shang → Zhou → Qin → Han → 3 Kingdoms → Jìn / 16 Kingdoms → N. & S. Dynasties → Sui → Tang → 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms → Liao / Song / W. Xia / Jīn → Yuan → Ming → Qing → Modern China

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