This is the current list of the national symbols of China. The People's Republic of China (PRC) controls all of mainland China, while the Republic of China (ROC) controls Taiwan and nearby islands. See National symbols of Taiwan. Both countries used to claim to be the legitimate government of all of China, with Taiwan informally dropping territorial claims in the early nineties.
Symbols of the People’s Republic of China
SymbolImageDescriptionNational flagThe national flag of the People's Republic of China was designed by Zeng Liansong. It has a red field charged with five golden stars in the canton. The color red represents the Chinese Communist Revolution, the four smaller stars represent the four social classes in Chinese society, and the largest star represents Chinese unity led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). One corner of each of the four smaller stars points towards the center of the bigger star, representing the principle that unity should go around the center. This flag is flown in the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau.National emblemThe National Emblem of China includes the Tiananmen Gate, where Mao declared the foundation of the People's Republic of China, in a red circle. Above the Gate are five stars; the largest represents the CCP, while the four smaller stars represent the four social classes. The emblem's outer border contains sheaves of wheat and rice, representing Chinese agricultural workers. At the bottom center is a cog-wheel, representing Chinese industrial workers. The red ribbon represents the unification of the Chinese people.National LandmarkGreat Wall of ChinaThe Great Wall of China is a series of fortified walls stretching across the historical northern borders of China to protect against nomadic tribes of the Eurasian Steppe. It was first built in the 7th century BC, and slowly expanded over time until the Ming Dynasty.National anthem"March of the Volunteers"The national anthem of China is the "March of the Volunteers". Its lyrics were composed by poet and playwright Tian Han in 1934, during the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and its music was composed by Nie Er.Founder of the nationMao Zedong Mao Zedong (1893–1976) established the PRC on October 1, 1949, which remains a national holiday. His portrait is displayed on the entrance of Tiananmen Square.Qin Shi-huangQin Shi-huang (literally, "First Emperor of Qin") (259 BC - 210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and then, after the Qin conquered the other Warring States and unified all of China, the first emperor of a unified China.Duiker, William J. & al. World History: Volume I: To 1800, 5th ed., p. 78. Thomson Higher Education Publishing, 2006. . He is widely considered to be the founder of China as a country.National currencyRenminbiThe renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China. The yuan is its basic unit.National animalGiant pandaThe national animal of China is the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanolueca), a bear native to south-central China.Chinese dragonThe Chinese dragon, or Loong, is one of four auspicious legendary creatures appearing in Chinese mythology and folklore. The dragon has many animal-like body parts, including wolf's head, stag's antlers, hare's eyes, bull's ears, serpent's torso, carp's squama, tiger's limbs and eagle's talons.according to a famous traditional chinese incunabulum Compendium of Materia Medica, aka《本草纲目》 Theories claim that Loong was a combination of totems of many tribes created to unite them under one banner.National birdRed-crowned craneThe red-crowned crane or Manchurian crane (Grus japonensis) is a large East Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world. It is found in Siberia (eastern Russia), northeastern China, and the Mongol Daguur Strictly Protected Area in northeastern Mongolia.Golden pheasant (unofficial) The golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) is a game bird of the family Phasianidae. Although it is native to western China, feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.National fruitFuzzy kiwifruitThe fuzzy kiwifruit is the national fruit of China. It has fuzzy, dull brown skin and tangy, bright green flesh.National treeGinkgoGinkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct.National InstrumentGuqin The guqin (古琴) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement.National sportTable tennis Table tennis has been declared by Chairman Mao as a Chinese national sport.National dishPeking duck China's globally recognized national dish is the Peking duck. National PoetLi BaiWard, J. E. (2008). Li Bai: an Homage To. United Kingdom: Lulu.com. Li Bai, also known as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai, art name Qinglian Jushi, was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. National PhilosopherConfucius Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Confucius's teachings and philosophy underpin East Asian culture and society, remaining influential across China and East Asia to this day.National CalendarChinese calendar The traditional Chinese calendar was developed between 771 and 476 BCE, during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. National ClothingCheongsam Cheongsam and sometimes referred as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the qizhuang, the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people.Hanfu Hanfu is the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. National DrinkBaijiuZheng, Xiao‐Wei, et al. "Daqu—A traditional Chinese liquor fermentation starter." Journal of the Institute of Brewing 117.1 (2011): 82–90.Rong and Fa, Grandiose Survey of Chinese Alcoholic Drinks and Beverages, 2013, Baijiu is a Chinese colourless liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV).National flowerPaeonia lactiflora Paeonia lactiflora (Chinese peony, Chinese herbaceous peony, or common garden peony) is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to central and eastern Asia from eastern Tibet across northern China to eastern Siberia.
Big Four in China +四大 Big FourListReference四大发明Big Four InventionPaper, Compass, Gunpowder, Woodblock printingFour Great Inventions四書Four BooksGreat Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Analects and Mencius Four Books四大奇書Four Great Classical NovelsWater Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dream of the Red Chamber and Journey to the WestClassic Chinese Novels四大美女Four Great BeautiesXi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang YuhuanFour Beauties四大才藝Four artsStringed instrument Guqin, strategy game of Go, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese paintingFour arts四君子Four Gentlemen in PaintingPlum blossom, Orchid, Bamboo, and ChrysanthemumFour Gentlemen四季名花Flowers of the Four SeasonsOrchid, Lotus, Chrysanthemum, and Plum blossomFlowers of the Four Seasons文房四寶Four Treasures of the StudyBrush, Ink, Paper, InkstoneFour Treasures of the Study四大国粹Four national treasuresMartial arts, Traditional Chinese medicine, Peking Opera, and Chinese Calligraphy四象Four GuardianAzure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black TortoiseFour Symbols四大神獸Four Holy BeastsAzure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Qilin, and Black TortoiseFour Holy Beasts四大名绣Four Great Chinese embroiderySuzhou embroidery, Hunan embroidery, Guangdong embroidery and Sichuan embroideryChinese embroidery四大古都Four Great Ancient CapitalsBeijing, Xi’an, Luoyang, NanjingHistorical capitals of China四大名楼Four Great Towers of ChinaYellow Crane Tower, Pavilion of Prince Teng, Yueyang Tower, Penglai Pagoda Four Great Towers of China四大名山Four Great Mountains of BuddhismMount Wutai, Mount Emei, Mount Jiuhua, Mount PutuoSacred Mountains of China四大节日Four Great Traditional Chinese FestivalsSpring Festival (Chinese New Year), the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Qingming FestivalList of observances set by the Chinese calendar四大名園Four Great GardensHumble Administrator's Garden, Summer Palace, Chengde Mountain Resort, Lingering Garden 中国四大名园四大民俗Four Great folkloreThe Butterfly Lovers, The Legend of the White Snake, Lady Meng Jiang and The Cowherd and the Weaver GirlChinese folklore四大名剧Four Great PlaysRomance of the Western Chamber, The Peony Pavilion, The Peach Blossom Fan, The Palace of Eternal Youth 四大名剧四大菜系Four Great Traditions of Chinese CuisineChuan (Sichuan), Lu (Shandong), Yue (Guangdong), Huaiyang (Jiangsu)Four Great Traditions四大石窟Four Great GrottoesMaijishan Grottoes, Mogao Caves, Longmen Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes
See also National symbols of Taiwan
References