Redesign PRC flag

With President Clinton's visit to China in June, the PRC's five-star flag was seen frequently on our television screens.

With the US stars and stripes and the Chinese five-star flags flying side by side, you could not help noticing the aesthetic differences between the two flags. I respect the five-star banner. It symbolises the power that governs China. However, I find it difficult, aesthetically, to have positive feelings about its design. The loud and bare colour scheme conveys a sense of regressive single-mindedness rather than positive dynamism.

It evokes historical images of a time when the class struggle and continuous revolution were the national preoccupations and all Chinese men and women wore blue or grey Mao jackets.

However, times have changed.

China has become more cosmopolitan. The Chinese are encouraged to appreciate their rich cultural heritage. The flag should no longer be based on an outdated political theory with five ideological stars in dull gold against a backdrop of flashy red.

I think it is time for China's national flag to be be changed.