Flag of Hong Kong
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| Use | Civil and state flag, civil and state ensign normal |
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| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | Approved on 4 April 1990, used since 1 July 1997 |
| Design | A stylised, white, five-petal Bauhinia blakeana flower in the centre of a red field |
| Designed by | Tao Ho |
| Regional flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區區旗 | ||||||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 中华人民共和国香港特别行政区区旗 | ||||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Xiānggǎng Tèbié Xíngzhèngqū Qūqí |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Jūngwàh Yàhnmàhn Guhngwòhgwok Hēunggóng Dahkbiht Hàhngjing Kēui Kēuikèih |
| Jyutping | Zung1waa4 Jan4man4 Gung6wo4gwok3 Hoeng1gong2 Dak6bit6 Hang4zing3 Keoi1 Keoi1kei4 |
The flag of Hong Kong features a white, stylised, five-petal Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakeana) flower in the centre of a red field. Its design was adopted on 4 April 1990 at the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress. The precise use of the flag is regulated by laws passed by the 58th executive meeting of the State Council held in Beijing. The design of the flag is enshrined in Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, and regulations regarding the use, prohibition of use, desecration, and manufacture of the flag are stated in the Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Ordinance. The flag of Hong Kong was first officially hoisted on 1 July 1997, in the handover ceremony marking the transfer of sovereignty.
The Chinese name of Bauhinia × blakeana has also been frequently shortened as 紫荊/紫荆 (洋 yáng means "foreign" in Chinese, and this would be deemed inappropriate by the PRC government), although 紫荊/紫荆 refers to another genus called Cercis. A statue of the plant has been erected in Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong. Although the flowers are bright pinkish purple in colour, they are depicted in white on the Flag of Hong Kong.
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. Moreover, the red colour is identical to that used in the national PRC flag, chosen to signify the link re-established between post-colonial Hong Kong and China. 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 dichotomy. The five stars of the Chinese national flag, representing the Communist Party and Mao Zedong's four classes (proletarian workers, agricultural peasants, petty bourgeoisie and capitalists), are replicated on the petals of the flower.
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