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TOPNational Flag

The national flag of China has a red color and rectangle shape. The proportion between its length and height is 3: 2. There are five, yellow stars one the upper-left. The larger one is circled by the other four smaller ones on its right.
The red color of the national flag signifies revolution and the yellow color of the five stars symbolizes golden brilliant rays radiating from the vast red land. The design of four smaller stars surrounding a bigger one indicates the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).　

The larger yellow star on the flag represents the Communist Party of China, and the four smaller stars stand for four social classes: the worker, the farmer, the petty bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie. The red color of the flag also signifies revolution and the yellow color means the skin color of Chinese people. The five stars spreading appropriately on the flag are a vivid representation of the unity of Chinese people. Each smaller star has one of its angles pointing to the center of the larger star, revealing the sincere trust of Chinese people on the Communist Party of China.

TOPNational Anthem

The national anthem of China is March of the Volunteers.

March of the Volunteers was composed after the September 18th Incident in 1931. It reflected the strong belief and confidence of Chinese people in defeating Japanese invaders. The anthem was written in 1935 with lyrics by poet Tian Han and later with music by composer Nie Er. It was the theme song of Brave Volunteers and then widely known with great influence.

Decided upon March of the Volunteers as the provisional national anthem of the new China on September 27, 1949, at the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference ("CPPCC"), the song written with lyrics by the poet Tian Han and later with music by the composer Nie Er was officially adopted as the national anthem of the PRC. The March of the Volunteers is reputed as the clarion of the liberation war of Chinese nation. Since it was written in 1935 when the nation was in great peril, it has been widely sung by Chinese people and playing a very important role in arousing the patriotism of the whole nation. In 1949, the CPPCC declared March of the Volunteers as the provisional national anthem of China, because it expresses the morale of Chinese people in revolution and the idea of thinking about the possibility of danger when we are in peace and safety.

Chairmen Mao once mentioned the necessity of taking March of the Volunteers as the national anthem of China. He expressed that we should never forget the shameful history of being slaved, but should remind ourselves from time to time of the possibility of turmoil when we are in peace.

TOPNational Emblem

The national emblem of China comprises of Tiananmen Gatetower which is under five stars, encircled by ears of grain and with a gear wheel below.
The combination of red and gold demonstrates the holiness and grandeur of the People's Republic of China.

The content of the national emblem involves national flag, Tiananmen Square, a gear wheel, and ears of grain. In fact it has deep and rich connotations. The New Democratic Revolution began in 1919 and achieved great success in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded. Tiananmen Square is the source place of May Fourth Movement, and the venue of grand ceremony for the funding of P.R.C. It is appropriate to take the image of Tiananmen as the symbol of the new Chinese nation. The gear wheel and ears of grain on the emblem signify respectively the class of workers and farmers. The five stars on the national flag are again put on the emblem because they can brightly represent the great unity of the whole Chinese nation under the leadership of the Communist Part of China, and demonstrate with force that the People's Republic of China is a socialist state under the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants.

TOPNational Flower

Tree Peony is regarded as the national flower of China.

The elegance and fragrance of tree peony has been favored from ancient times till now. Early in Southern and Northern Dynasties there were records of tree peony planting. The technology of planting was largely developed later in Tang Dynasty when tree peony was reputed as "the king of flowers". It is said once in Qing Dynasty, a brother of the then emperor went to Jile Temple to appreciate tree peony, and then wrote inscriptions "National Flower Temple" on the plague of the temple. Therefore it was form early Qing Dynasty that tree peony won the title "National Flower".

Tree peony of China is famous at home and abroad. In Origin of the Species by Darwin, the planting of tree peony in China was quoted as an example to prove "the Theory of Natural Selection and Artificial Selection". Tree peony is widely favored by people all over the world. In the eighth century, tree peony of China was introduced to Japan, in 1330 to France, in 1656 to Holland, and in 1820 to the United States. By now tree peony is planted and cultivated in more than 20 countries world widely.

Tree peony is closely related to China. It is said that in Tang Dynasty, the then Emperor Wu Zetian once got drunk in a winter day and ordered all flowers in the palace to bloom at once. But only tree peony refused the order and was soon driven out of the imperial palace to Luoyang in today's Henan Province. From then on tree peony was reputed as the "Best Flower under Heaven". It has an upright and brave character with strong perseverance. The character of tree peony, therefore, is quite similar to that of Chinese people. In Ming Dynasty, Caozhou County in Shandong Province once won the title "Hometown of Tree peony" when tree peony was in fashion for a period.

TOPTreasure of China—Giant Panda

Giant Panda is one of the most precious animals in the world. In China they mostly inhabit in certain rolling land areas or mountain ranges of Sichuan, Gansu, and Shanxi Province. They are small in number and therefore designated as the rare animal under the first-level protection. Giant Panda in China is considered as a National Treasure. <View Details>