The Myanmar flag is the national symbol of Myanmar, which reflects the historical, cultural, and political changes in the country. The national flag of Myanmar has undergone several modifications over the past century or so, the most striking of which is its resemblance to the Chinese flag. Why did the Burmese flag once resemble the flag of the Kuomintang?Is there any story behind this?This article will look at the changes in the national flag of Myanmar and its relationship with the Chinese Kuomintang from a historical perspective.
The change of the national flag of Myanmar can be divided into four stages: the feudal dynasty period, the British colonial period, the Japanese occupation and puppet regime period, and the post-independence period. In these four phases, the style and meaning of the Myanmar flag are different, but there are also some common elements such as red, blue, and white, as well as motifs such as peacocks, ears of rice, and five-pointed stars.
During the feudal dynasty, the national flag of Myanmar was dominated by a peacock. The peacock is the national bird of Myanmar and the royal symbol of the Gongbang Dynasty. The Peacock Flag represents the dignity, glory and traditions of Myanmar. During the British colonial period, the flag of Myanmar was based on the British rice flag as the background, with the pattern of the peacock flag. This flag shows the status of Burma under British rule and also retains the national identity of Myanmar.
During the period of Japanese occupation and puppet regime, the national flag of Myanmar underwent significant changes. With the support of Japan, Myanmar established the state of Myanmar with a red background flag with a blue background in the upper left corner and a green peacock in the middle. This kind of flag is based on the original peacock flag, referring to the design of the Chinese national flag, in order to express respect and gratitude to the Chinese Kuomintang. At that time, Burma had close ties with the Chinese Nationalist Party, which provided a lot of assistance in the Burmese independence movement and also fought against the Japanese army inside Burma. The similarity between the national flag of Myanmar and the national flag of China is a symbol of the friendship between Myanmar and China.
In the post-independence period, the national flag of Myanmar has undergone several revisions, mainly in terms of political system and ideology. In 1948, Burma gained independence from Britain and established the Union of Burma. The flag of the Union of Myanmar still retains the pattern of blue horns on a red background, but the peacock has been replaced with a large star and five small stars. The big star represents the Federation** and the small star represents the five main ethnic groups of Myanmar: Burman, Shan, Karen, Chin and Kachin. This flag embodies Myanmar's pluralism and federalism.
In 1974, Myanmar promulgated a new constitution and established the Union Socialist Republic of Myanmar. The socialist flag of Myanmar replaced the original stars with ears of rice, gears and fourteen stars. The ears of rice and the gears symbolize the peasant class and the working class in Burmese socialism, and the fourteen stars symbolize the fourteen administrative units of Myanmar. Such flags reflect Myanmar's socialist ideals and nation-building.
In 2010, Myanmar replaced its national flag with a new constitution. The new national flag of Myanmar is made up of yellow, green and red lines and a huge white five-pointed star. Yellow symbolizes unity, green symbolizes peace and tranquility, and red symbolizes bravery and determination. The white five-pointed star represents the perpetuity of the Federation. This flag is a radical change of the national flag of Myanmar, which abandons the previous style of red background and blue corners, and has no pattern of any kind, only simple colors and stars. Such a flag can mean a new beginning for Myanmar, or it can mean a lack of character and individuality in Myanmar.
The change of the national flag of Myanmar is a microcosm of Myanmar's history. It chronicles the changes in various political systems and ideologies of Burma's feudal dynasties, British colonies, Japanese occupation and puppet regimes, and independence. It also reflects Myanmar's relations with China, especially with the Chinese Nationalist Party. The national flag of Myanmar used to resemble the flag of the Kuomintang because Myanmar has a deep relationship with China, and also because of Myanmar's respect and gratitude to China. The change of the national flag of Myanmar is also the change of the people of Myanmar, and the process of their identification and pursuit of their own country and nation.