Regional Emblem of Hong Kong 香港特別行政區區徽 | |
---|---|
Armiger | Hong Kong |
Adopted | 1997 |
Shield | Gules, a Bauhinia blakeana argent |
Emblem of Hong Kong | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 香港特別行政區區徽 | ||||||||
|
The Regional Emblem of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China came into use on 1 July 1997,after the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China.
It features the same design elements as the regional flag of Hong Kong in a circular setting. The outer white ring is shown with the caption of the official name of the territory in Traditional Chinese and the English short form,"Hong Kong". [1]
The colonial badge was in use since 1843 in one version or another until it was replaced by the coat of arms granted in 1959. Throughout several revisions,the idea of the badge remained. It depicted three merchants and a pile of cargo on a wharf on the left in the foreground. In the background there was a square-rigged ship and a Chinese junk in the harbour with a Flag of the Qing Dynasty backed by conical hills. Above was the royal arms of the United Kingdom.
Coat of arms of Hong Kong 香港盾徽 | |
---|---|
Versions | |
Armiger | Elizabeth II in Right of Hong Kong |
Adopted | 21 January 1959 |
Crest | A demi lion Or royally crowned proper holding between the paws a pearl also proper. |
Shield | Argent on water barry wavy in base proper two three-masted Chinese junks in full sail bows inwards also proper on a chief embattled Gules a Naval Crown Or. |
Supporters | On the dexter side a lion Or royally crowned proper and on the sinister side a Chinese Dragon Or. |
Motto | Hong Kong |
Emblem of Hong Kong | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 香港盾徽 | ||||||||
|
The arms had been in use in Colonial Hong Kong since it was granted on 21 January 1959 and later adopted on the colonial flag in July of that year. The use of the arms by the Hong Kong Government ended in 1997,when it was replaced by the regional emblem. The arms featured two traditional Chinese junks facing each other,and on a red embattled chief a golden naval crown. The crest was a crowned lion holding a pearl,and the supporters were a crowned British lion and a Chinese dragon. The shield and supporters stood on a compartment,consisting of an island,with a scroll bearing the words 'Hong Kong'.
The two junks symbolise the importance of Eastern-type of trade on the sea surrounding the colony. The naval crown symbolises Hong Kong's links with the Navy and the Merchant Navy,and the crenulated line acknowledges the brief but valiant defence of Hong Kong against the Japanese during World War II. [2]
In the crest,the pearl held by the lion indicates the small but precious nature of the Colony. It also recalls the romanticised phrase "Pearl of the Orient" referring to Hong Kong.
The lion and dragon supporters show the British and Chinese connections of Hong Kong. The island symbolises the beginning of the colony as an island and represents the maritime and hilly geography of Hong Kong.
The small lion standing on the crest alone had featured on the reverse of Hong Kong coinage before the introduction of the Bauhinia design in preparation for the handover in 1997.
The colonial arms has been adopted by a group called the Hong Kong Autonomy Movement (HKAM) as their flag for Hong Kong autonomy. The flag features the old coat of arms against a blue background.
During British rule,the coat of arms were displayed by Government House,the Legislative Council,most courts,and the Central Government Offices. [3] The arms were also in use by aircraft of the Government Flying Service.
The modern emblem came into use on 1 July 1997,after Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China.
The Regional Emblem of the Hong Kong is round in shape. It bears a red circular edge,an outer ring marked with scripts,a red inner ring with a design of a swaying bauhinia with five star-shaped stamens. The swaying bauhinia design at the centre of the inner ring of the emblem is white in colour. It is formed by five petals,each with a red five-pointed star and a red style. The petals are evenly arranged around the central point of the emblem in a clockwise direction. The centre of the bauhinia lies on the central point of the emblem.
The outer ring marked with scripts lies between the red circular edge and the red inner ring. The words and characters,on a white background,are red in colour. Evenly arranged in the upper part of the outer ring are the traditional Chinese characters 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區(People's Republic of China Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) in the standard format for the regional emblem. The bottom of each character points towards the centre of the regional emblem. The English words "HONG KONG" in the standard format for the regional emblem are evenly arranged farther down the outer ring.
The regional emblems are displayed at the Central Government Offices. In addition, the regional emblem is displayed at major government offices and buildings, such as Government House, the Executive Council, the legislative council, the law courts of various levels, District Offices, all border control or check points in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices overseas.
The official car of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong also bears the emblem of Hong Kong. In addition, the emblem of Hong Kong is displayed on the cover page of important government documents, such as Consultation papers and Policy Address of Hong Kong.
The coat of arms of South Africa is the main heraldic insignia of South Africa. The present coat of arms was introduced on Freedom Day, 27 April 2000, and was designed by Iaan Bekker. It replaced the earlier national arms, which had been in use since 1910. The motto is written in the extinct ǀXam, member of the Khoisan languages, and translates literally to "diverse people unite". The previous motto, in Latin, was Ex Unitate Vires, translated as "From unity, strength".
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag. However, it is commonly referred to in Canada as the Union Jack.
The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally. The arms were adopted c.1200 by the Plantagenet kings and continued to be used by successive English and British monarchs; they are currently quartered with the arms of Scotland and Ireland in the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Historically they were also quartered with the arms of France, representing the English claim to the French throne, and Hanover.
The Regional Flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China depicts a white stylised five-petal Hong Kong orchid tree flower in the centre of a Chinese red field. Its original design was unveiled on 4 April 1990 at the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress. The current design was approved on 10 August 1996 at the Fourth Plenum of the Preparatory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 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 officially adopted and hoisted on 1 July 1997, during the handover ceremony marking the handover from the United Kingdom back to China.
The Regional Flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is light green with a lotus flower above the stylised Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge and water in white, beneath a circular arc of five golden five-pointed stars: one large star in the center of the arc with two smaller stars on each side of the large star, each with a point angled directly outward from the center of the common circle on which they lie.
The current state flag of New South Wales was officially adopted in 1876. The flag is based on the defaced British Blue Ensign with the state badge located in the fly. The badge, based on the coat of arms, is a white disc with the cross of St George, a golden lion passant guardant in the centre of the cross and an eight-pointed gold star on each arm of the cross.
The Red Rose of Lancaster was the heraldic badge adopted by the royal House of Lancaster in the 14th century. In modern times it symbolises the county of Lancashire. The exact species or cultivar which it represents is thought to be Rosa gallica officinalis.
The Blue Sky with a White Sun is the national emblem of the Republic of China that covers the period of history in mainland China and Taiwan.
The Hong Kong Fire Services Department is an emergency service responsible for firefighting and rescue on land and sea. It also provides an emergency ambulance service for the sick and the injured and gives fire protection advice to the public. It is under the Secretary for Security who heads the Security Bureau.
The coat of arms or national emblem of Indonesia is called Garuda Pancasila in Indonesian. The main part is the Garuda with a heraldic shield on its chest and a scroll gripped by its legs. The shield's five emblems represent Pancasila, the five principles of Indonesia's national ideology. The Garuda claws gripping a white ribbon scroll inscribed with the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika written in black text, which can be loosely translated as "Unity in Diversity". Garuda Pancasila was designed by Sultan Hamid II from Pontianak, supervised by Sukarno, and was adopted as the national emblem on 11 February 1950.
The coat of arms of Nigeria consists of a black shield with a wavy white pall, symbolising the meeting of the Niger and Benue Rivers at Lokoja. The black shield represents Nigeria's fertile soil, while the two supporting horses or chargers on each side represent dignity. The eagle represents strength, while the green and white twists of the torse on the top of the shield represent the rich soil.
The HSBC Building is a six-floor neo-classical building in the Bund area of Shanghai, China. It served as the headquarters of the Shanghai branch of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1923 to 1955, and currently houses the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. The building is situated at number 12, the Bund. Designed by the British architecture firm Palmer & Turner Architects and Surveyors, construction of the building lasted from 5 May 1921 to 23 June 1923.
The Regional Emblem of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China came into use on 20 December 1999, when the sovereignty of Macau was handed over from the Portuguese Republic to the People's Republic of China. The emblem is now referred to officially as the "Regional Emblem" (區徽).
The handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997 officially marked the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the People's Republic of China. It was an internationally televised event with the ceremony commencing on the night of 30 June 1997 and finishing on the morning of 1 July 1997. The ceremony was held at the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island.
The flag of the governor-general of New Zealand is an official flag of New Zealand and is flown continuously on buildings and other locations when a governor-general is present. The flag in its present form was adopted in 2008 and is a blue field with the shield of the New Zealand coat of arms royally crowned. The official heraldic description is "A flag of a blue field thereon the Arms of New Zealand ensigned by the Royal Crown all proper".
The flags of British India were varied, and the British Empire used several different banners during the period of its rule in the Indian subcontinent. Flags with the Star of India emblem in their design are often referred to as the Star of India flag, and were used to represent India itself and high offices in the government of India. The Viceroy's Union Flag banner, featuring the star emblem, was officially considered the "Flag of India," and the Red Ensign bearing the star was also used as an Indian flag, particularly at international events. The Royal Indian Navy also flew a blue jack flag bearing the Star of India. The East India Company, which ruled India prior to 1858, used a flag featuring the Union Jack with red and white stripes.
The coat of arms of Singapore is the heraldic symbol representing the sovereign island country and city-state of Singapore located in maritime Southeast Asia. It was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore attained self-governance from the British Empire, and remains in use after its independence in 1965. The committee that created it, headed by Toh Chin Chye, who was also responsible for the national flag and the national anthem of Singapore.
The national flag of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, is a Chinese red field with five golden stars charged at the canton. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off towards the fly. It has been the national flag of China since the foundation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949. The flag was designed by Zeng Liansong.
Since the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has adopted "March of the Volunteers," the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, to be sung as the representative anthem of the Hong Kong SAR. The national anthem of the People's Republic of China is protected by statute in Hong Kong under the National Anthem Ordinance.
The flag of Hong Kong from 1871 to 1997 was a Blue Ensign with the coat of arms of Hong Kong on a white disk. In Hong Kong, it is known as the Hong Kong flag (香港旗), British Hong Kong flag (英屬香港旗) or the Dragon and Lion flag (龍獅旗). In 1959, following a grant from the College of Arms and with the consent of Queen Elizabeth II, it was adopted as the flag of British Hong Kong. While the flag lost its official status following the 1 July 1997 transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, it resurfaced in the 2010s as a symbol of support for Hong Kong autonomy and protest against Chinese interference in Hong Kong.