Flag of the Qing dynasty Flag of the Qing dynasty The flag of the Qing dynasty was an emblem adopted in the late 19th century featuring the Azure Dragon on a plain yellow field with the red flaming pearl of the three-legged crow in the upper left corner. It became the first national flag of China and is usually referred to as the "Yellow Dragon Flag" (). Ruling China from 1644 until the overthrow of the monarchy during the Xinhai Revolution, the Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty in China's history. Between 1889 and 1912, the dynasty represented itself with the dragon flag. Throughout
Flag of the Qing dynasty endorsement of the Eight Banners hierarchy, he instead removed one corner to create a triangular flag. The triangular version of the yellow dragon flag was restricted to naval and governmental use only, no civilian ships were permitted to fly the yellow pennant, and it never became the national flag. However, on some diplomatic occasions and at international exhibitions, this flag was used to represent China. In September 1881, when the two cruisers "Chaoyong" and "Yangwei" ordered from Birkenhead, England were sent to China, Li Hongzhang realized a triangular ensign was unique among naval flags of other countries. As a result,