China is a very interesting place.
Its sheer vast size, mix of cultures, long history and its unique political system make
it seem alien to most westerners.
One of Chinas quirks is its two Special administrative regions, which although part of China, practically
act like nations in their own right.
These two regions are known as Macau and Hong Kong and will definitely feature again in
future videos – but for now what we are interested in are there flags!
The Regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China – try
saying that ten times! -is light green flag with a lotus flower above a stylised depiction
of the Macau-Taipa Bridge (Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge) and water, in white, beneath
an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large in the centre of the arc and four smaller
ones.
At the time, the lotus – a significant flower in eastern culture - was chosen as the floral
emblem of Macau.
The Macau-Taipa Bridge – as the name suggests - links the Macau Peninsula and the island
of Taipa.
The bridge is one of the most recognisable landmarks of the territory.
The water beneath the lotus and the bridge symbolise Macau's position as a port.
The five five-pointed stars echo the design of the flag of the People's Republic of China,
symbolising the relationship Macau has with its sovereign state.
The flag was designed in 1993 and was adopted in 1999 when the Portuguese handed Macau to
china.
Prior to the handover of Macau to the People's Republic of China by the Portuguese Republic
in 1999, Macau officially used only the Portuguese flag, in contrast to Hong Kong, which, under
British rule, used various Blue Ensigns as its flag (alongside the Union Jack).
The Portuguese had thought about giving Macau a flag and in 1967, there were proposals to
give each overseas province its own flag, consisting of the Portuguese flag with the
local coat of arms, but none were ever adopted.
Although There was a flag for the Government of Macau, with the colony's coat of arms on
a light blue field.
There was a flag for the local councils (or Leal Senado) of Macau, with a Portuguese-style
coat of arms, which was used at the 1999 handover ceremony.
The flag of Hong Kong features a white, stylised, five-petal orchid tree flower in the centre
of a red field.
The flag of Hong Kong was first officially hoisted in July 1997, at the handover ceremony
marking the transfer of sovereignty from the UK to China.
The design of the flag comes with cultural, political, and regional meanings.
The colour itself is significant; red is a festive colour for the Chinese people, used
to convey a sense of celebration and nationalism. and the red colour is identical to that used
in the Chinese.
The position of red and white on the flag symbolises the "one country two systems" political
principle applied to the region.
The stylised rendering of the Bauhinia blakeana flower, a flower discovered in Hong Kong,
is meant to serve as a harmonising symbol for this union.
The five stars of the Chinese national flag, representing the Communist Party are replicated
on the petals of the flower.
Before the adoption of the flag, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Basic Law
explained the significance of the flag's design to the National People's Congress:
The regional flag carries a design of five bauhinia petals, each with a star in the middle,
on a red background.
The red flag represents the motherland and the bauhinia represents Hong Kong.
The design implies that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China and prospers in the embrace
of the motherland.
The five stars on the flower symbolise the fact that all Hong Kong compatriots love their
motherland, while the red and white colours embody the principle of "one country, two
systems" Before the modern flag a flag with a coat
of arms was used.
A coat of arms for Hong Kong was granted on 21 January 1959 by the College of Arms in
London.
The Hong Kong flag was revised in the same year to feature the coat of arms in the Blue
Ensign flag.
This design was used officially from 1959 until Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty
in 1997.
Since then, the colonial flag has been used by protestors as a symbol of antagonism towards
the mainland and a similar flag is used by those advocating independence.