China - The Lixin County "Facing the Sun" Children's Group Flag, 1968.
This red cotton flag was made during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, when the use of red flags with inscriptions was omnipresent in China. The Chinese writing identifies this flag as the "Lixin Facing the Sun Courtyard Children's Group." "Facing the Sun" is a metaphor used during the Cultural Revolution for loyalty to Mao Zedong.

This Cultural Revolution era youth group flag was from Lixin County, a rural agricultural area of Anhui province known for its wheat and beef production. The county was created by the PRC in the 1960s, and is famous in China for its educational system.

Provenance: Acquired in China by purchase.

ZFC Collectible Flag

Sources:


Flag Translation by Prof. Benjamin L. Read, Politics Department - University of California Santa Cruz, letter of 17 February 2012, Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.

Lixin County, Wikipedia, 2 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lixin_County

Cultural Revolution, Wikipedia, 2 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection