Five Races Under One Union

A principle of early Republican China advocating unity among Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui, and Tibetan peoples, often represented by five-colored flags.

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1911 Revolution: A revolution that ended the Qing dynasty and established the Republic of China. The principle emerged as revolutionaries sought a political identity for the new republic.
Chinese nationalism: A range of political ideas and movements centered on Chinese national identity and sovereignty. The principle recast a Han-centered revolutionary cause as a broader national identity.
Hui people: A predominantly Chinese-speaking ethnic group in China whose history is closely associated with Islam. The Hui were one of the five named populations, though the label grouped diverse communities.
Han chauvinism: The assertion of Han superiority or dominance over non-Han peoples and cultures. The unity formula rejected overt Han domination while still emerging from a Han-led revolution.
Five-colored flag: A flag of five horizontal stripes used by the early Republic of China, associated with its five-peoples principle. The flag turned the principle into a visible emblem of the republic's multiethnic claim.
Tongmenghui: A revolutionary alliance founded in 1905 to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish a republic. Its republican program helped shape the early state's language of national unity.
Zhonghua minzu: A modern political concept describing a Chinese nation composed of multiple ethnic groups. Both ideas frame diverse populations as parts of a single Chinese national community.
Manchu language: A Tungusic language historically spoken by the Manchu people and used in Qing administration. It illustrates the linguistic distinctiveness of one group represented by the principle.
Ethnic nationalism: Nationalism that defines political belonging primarily through shared ethnicity or descent. The slogan's named ethnic groups invite comparison with nations defined through a single ethnicity.
Flag of the Republic of China: The current national flag of the Republic of China, consisting of a red field, white sun, and blue canton. Its replacement of the five-colored flag marked a shift in republican political symbolism.