Tibet 1916-1951

The national flag of Tibet was adopted by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1916 after it became independent of China in 1912. It depicts two Snow Lions, representing Tibet’s victorious accomplishment of a unified spiritual and secular life. They stand beneath a flaming blue, white and orange jewel, representing the three “supreme gems”, the objects of refuge: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. They hold between them a blue and orange “taijitu”, a swirling jewel, representing the people’s guarding and cherishing of the self-discipline of correct ethical behaviour. Behind them is a white snow-clad mountain, with a gold sun rising over it, representing the equal enjoyment of freedom, spiritual and material happiness and prosperity by all beings in Tibet. Six red rays emanate from the sun on a blue sky, representing the original ancestors of the Tibetan people: six tribes called Se, Mu, Dong, Tong, Dru, and Ra. A gold border around the upper, lower, and hoist sides of the flag symbolises that the teachings of the Buddha are flourishing and spreading. Three red squares were initially placed on the yellow stripe along the hoist. China annexed Tibet in 1951, and after the Tibetan uprising of 1959, the flag was outlawed, and it is now strictly forbidden to display it.