Republic of China flag
A letter to the editor published on Wednesday last week suggests that the Republic of China (ROC) flag flown over Taiwan officially represented China from 1912 to 1949 (“Sing a song of Taiwan,” Oct. 17, page 8). The last part of the statement is incorrect.
From 1912 to 1928, China was represented by the five-color flag, which represented the major ethnic groups of China — unlike subsequent flags that emphasized the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) or Chinese Communist Party’s “vanguard” control.
The five-color flag was favored by writers Lin Yu-tang (林語堂) — based on the cover of his 1967 book Famous Chinese Short Stories — and Bo Yang (柏楊), whose preference was actually reported in the Taipei Times (“Change flag, anthem: Bo Yang,” July 15, 2004, page 3).
As a side note, the ROC’s national anthem was not Three Principles of the People during most of its pre-1928 history, but Song to the Auspicious Cloud, which celebrates periodic transfers of power as a means to revive a country.
Even though the early versions of the ROC flag and national anthem were removed by the KMT-based ROC because of their association with the horrible warlord-based Beiyang ROC government, the ideals espoused by the early flag and anthem seem to be more relevant to Taiwan than ever.
Taiwan has multiethnic groups whether they are Aborigines, Han settlers from various eras, or new immigrants from various parts of the world.
Additionally, Taiwan does have periodic elections that can invoke a transfer of power if the public elects that to happen.
Allen Chang
Hsinchu
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