Teen’s flags trigger international flap
Flags are usually positive. Flags are often expressions of happiness. Flags can be celebratory. And, sometimes, flags can get you in trouble, as a teen pop star discovered.
Chou Tzu-yu, a 16-year-old singer from Taiwan who was raised in a section of the island that hopes for independence from China, recently appeared on TV with two flags. In one hand was the banner of South Korea, a symbol of freedom and a contrast to the repressive government of North Korea. In her other fist was the flag of the Republic of China, a title used by some Taiwanese opposed to the mainland government’s hegemony over Taiwan.
Miss Chou’s action caused the newly elected president of Taiwan (and the first female one) to speak about the controversy at her initial press conference. “Some news has shaken society,” Tsai Ing-wen remarked. “A 16-year-old girl, was set upon for holding the national flag. [That] has angered Taiwanese people.”
There were angry people on the other side, too. Those who support continued union of the island to the nation of China demanded that the singer be banned from performing on the mainland.
Caught between the two expressions of rage, Miss Chou opted to apologize. “There is only one China,” she began. “The two sides of the [Taiwan] strait are one, and I have always felt proud to be Chinese….I will go through some serious reflection….I apologize to everyone.”
But painter Hsiao Yi-ci supported the singer by saying, “If you can’t show your flag, can’t represent your county, that makes Taiwanese people very afraid.”
The uproar provides the opportunity to examine the four flags involved in the uproar:
*China’s flag, adopted in 1949, has a red field with a large yellow star in the upper left quadrant. Four smaller stars curl around the main one, which represents communism. The quartet symbolizes peasants, workers, communist party officials and capitalists.
*Taiwan’s standard dates to 1928. Also red, it contains a blue square in the upper left with a white sun in the middle. A dozen rays radiate from the sun. The island is a part of China, but it briefly became its own nation in 1949.
*South Korea’s banner is mainly white. In the middle is a circle colored half-red and half-blue, symbolizing harmony among opposing ideas or people. In the four corners of the banner, there are bars in different designs. They stand for heaven, water, fire and earth. The flag was made official in 1948, when North and South Korea separated.
*North Korea’s elongated flag is red, white and blue. A pair of blue stripes symbolize peace; two white strips stand for purity; and a thick red rectangle salutes communism’s revolution. A red star repeats the latter theme. The nation was born in 1948.