Hong Kong

The flag of Hong Kong was adopted on February 16, 1990, and received formal approval from the Preparatory Committee on August 10, 1996. The flag was first officially hoisted on July 1, 1997, in a historical ceremony marking the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China. The flag depicts a white stylized five-petal Hong Kong orchid tree flower in the center of a Chinese red field, symbolizing the ‘one country, two systems’ principle behind the city’s reunification with China. The five stars of the Chinese national flag are replicated on the petals of the flower.