Rebecca Dean is a freelance writer originally from California who specializes in writing about travel, education, culture and language learning. A long-time Wahlberlinerin (Berliner-by-choice), Rebecca became a dual US/German citizen in 2019. In her free time, she writes fiction, makes jewelry, sings and hangs out with family and friends. You can find Rebecca professionally on LinkedIn and personally on Instagram.

The Taiwanese people were reluctant to embrace patriotism to China. Similarly, mainlanders of China did not trust the islanders due to the long Japanese occupation. Even when the island was part of the Chinese empire before the Japanese invasion, the mainlanders considered the Taiwanese as semi-feral Chinese. Taiwan had developed an identity different from the mainland. Their flag is a symbol of this rich, complex history. This flag does not deny the island’s Chinese past. On the other hand, the flag is also a sign of a different destiny for the island’s people. It is a symbol of the future, a future in which Taiwan becomes a fully recognized sovereign nation.

Yes, indeed, Germany’s flag is a history lesson in itself, with some twists and turns along the way. Here are four interesting facts you should know about the German flag.

When it comes to state flag design, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Bavaria stand out from the crowds. “Meck-Pom’s” state flag pictures a crowned black bull sticking out his tongue and a fierce-looking griffin. Bavaria, on the other hand, went the minimalist route. Their flag features white and sky blue diamonds or two stripes in these colors, which is why you often see these colors at Bavarian-style beer gardens.

Pictures of the German Chancellor and French President smiling and shaking hands for the camera may make you think these two countries have always been the best of friends. However, history tells us this is far from the truth. After Napoleon and his allies defeated the Holy Roman Empire, Germany and France entered into a state of rivalry, hostility and violence that lasted almost 150 years.

The flag of Taiwan is a symbol of patriotism. The flag constitutes a coat of arms, which is a white sun on a blue field. The coat of arms appears at the top right corner on a red field. Unknown to many, the flag of Taiwan has a rich cultural and historical meaning. For starters, Taiwan is a stateless nation. This territory is at the center of a political disagreement between the citizens of Taiwan and mainland China. To the Chinese, Taiwan is an extension of the People’s Republic of China (modern China). Taiwan is therefore recognized as being part of the Republic of China. The issue remains whether Taiwan and other islands, which include Matsu and Penghu, should be officially recognized as territories of China or as separate government entities. This controversy in part explains the color contrast in the flag.

The simple tricolor flag doesn’t have a long history in Germany, but red and gold supposedly do. During the Holy Roman Empire, the coat of arms for the German Nation featured a black Eagle with red legs against a gold background. This has led some to claim that this color combination has its roots in the Middle Ages. However, even if it’s true, they were never the official colors of the empire.

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The flag of Taiwan is referred to as the “blue sky, white sun, wholly red earth.” The white color of the sun symbolizes equality and democracy, whereas the blue symbolizes liberty and nationalism.  The three colors (red, white, and blue) represent the three core principles of the country. The blue is a symbol of justice, democracy, and liberty. White is democracy and equality—the brightness of the livelihood of the people. Lastly, the red is a symbol of fraternity, nationalism, and sacrifice.

The Taiwan flag was officially adopted in October 1928. The flag was the brainchild of the Kuomintang (KMT) Chinese Nationalist party that existed in Mainland China in 1917. The KMT, under the leadership of Chiang Kai-Shek, relocated to Taiwan after their defeat in 1949. Chiang continued his rule as the President of the Republic of China and the general of the political party until he died in 1975. It was during this period of exile that the KMT’s flag became the flag of Taiwan.

The flag consists of a red background with a blue square located at the top left corner at the canton. In the blue square, there is the white sun with twelve triangles acting as rays of the sun. The twelve rays represent the 12 months of the Chinese calendar. The rays also serve as the traditional “shichen” time format that corresponds to two modern hours. The red field symbolizes the blood of the revolutionaries who fought against the Qing dynasty. This red is rooted in Chinese culture and also represents the livelihood and fraternity of the people.

People might not agree on the colors, but that fierce German heraldic eagle has definitely been around for a long time. It showed up with one head as early as 800 AD and even grew a second head in the 12th century. The switch between a single-headed and a double-headed eagle continued until 1871, when the Prussian King and German King Wilhelm I chose the one-headed guy for the imperial coat of arms of the German Empire. After a dark stint as a Nazi symbol, the federal eagle took a cue from the mythical phoenix and rose from the ashes to become an official emblem of a reunified Germany in 1990.

While Americans are famously fond of the Stars and Stripes and the British Union Jack has long since adorned clothing all over the world, Germans have a far more complicated relationship with their flag.

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Unfortunately, right-wing groups have increasingly adopted black-red-gold colors at their rallies and protests. This has led some citizens to equate the German flag with the far-right, although history tells us this is not the case.

Black, red and gold were first used as a political symbol after the Wars of Liberation against the French Empire. During the war, the Prussians praised a particular fighting unit known as the Lützower Jäger (Lützow hunters). This unit wore uniforms decorated with gold buttons and red insignias. Black came into play purely by chance. The soldiers had to bring their own uniform, which they dyed black themselves.

The black-red-gold flag has its roots in democracy – and rivalry with France. Reinstating the plain colors after the unification could therefore be considered a strong statement and promise for the future. However, German sentiments towards the flag are likely to remain contentious.

1. A red-legged eagle and the Holy Roman Empire2. A flag to mock the French3. The flag can make Germans feel uncomfortable4. Bears, griffins and crowned bulls on the German state flags – oh my!

To the Chinese mainlanders, the flag of Taiwan is the flag of the Republic of China. In 1912, the flag was mainland China’s navy flag. In 1928, the flag became the official flag of the KMT. Lu Hao Tung designed the flag’s blue cantor in 1895. This design is a representation of the revolutionary army of China. In 1906, Sun Yat-Sen requested a modification of the flag by placing the blue cantor on a red background. The flag was once the national flag of mainland China until the KMT government was exiled to Taiwan.

Later, the colors were adopted by groups calling for democracy. Black, red and gold flags were waved by the crowds at the pro-democracy Hambach Festival in 1832 – partly to mock the French. The French had their tricolor flag, now the Germans had theirs too. The meaning of this new German flag was national unity and civic freedom. In 1848, the Bundestag (parliament) declared the colors for the German Confederation they wished to found. Black, red and gold flew over the barricades during the revolution of 1848/1849.

It’s important to mention that the current German flag was never a Nazi symbol. Hitler and his National Socialist cronies ditched the black-red-gold for the swastika. However, because of this dark chapter in the country’s history, many Germans today still feel squeamish about displays of nationalism. True, the flag and its colors still show up at sporting events and over official government buildings. But people don’t usually hang it in front of their homes or wear it on t-shirts.

The German flag may have a simple design, but the same can’t be said for German state flags. Three German states use black-red-gold stripes combined with coats of arms, while other states use different colors. Most of the flags feature animals such as bears (two states, including the city-state Berlin), lions (seven states), eagles (two states) and horses (two states).

But the same can’t be said for the state flags. So flaunt that Berliner Bär (Berlin bear) or deck yourself in blue and white for Oktoberfest as much as you like. No one will bat an eye.

The construction measurements of the flag are recorded in the “Law About the National Flag and the Emblem of the Republic of China.” One-fourth of the flag is blue, with a 2:3 ratio of the width and the length. The sun’s diameter, including the rays, is 6/8 of the height of the blue section. The diameter of the sun minus the rays is ¼th the canton’s width. The blue ring above the white sun between the rays is 1/15th the sun’s diameter. The angle of the rays is 30 degrees. Therefore, the twelve rays make up 360 degrees.

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Taiwan has been under the rule of many empires – the Dutch, Spanish,  Japanese, and Chinese. Throughout the antiquity era, Taiwan was considered beyond the influence of Chinese civilization. The Chinese elites of the time felt the island was the habitation of savages who were unwilling to adopt Chinese ways of life. Imperial China had no interest in colonizing Taiwan. However, years of early Chinese settlement in the territory, along with a series of political upheaval, gave Taiwan a Chinese identity. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, a nationalist leader, is recognized as the founding father of Modern China and Taiwan. He is the one who revived the Kuomintang in 1914. He worked towards the reunification of China through military use and the establishment of a tutelage period. After his death in 1925, his deputy Chiang Kai-shek took up leadership of the KMT. One of Chiang’s missions was to regain Taiwan from Japanese rule. The US government and the UK supported this mission in the 1943 Cairo Declaration, which was endorsed by Chiang. However, the five decades of Japanese occupation had tarnished the island’s identity as part of China.

Historically speaking, it’s also not all that old. In fact, its tricolor design only had official status for two short periods in the past: from 1848 to 1866 in the German Confederation and from 1919 to 1933 during the Weimar Republic. A fledgling democracy, the Federal Republic of Germany reinstated those black, red and gold stripes – but so did the communist German Democratic Republic.