Last modified: 2020-07-11 by ian macdonald
Keywords: taiwan: china youth salvation corps | star: kmt |
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by Eugene Ipavec, 18 July 2006
This flag was found in the book A pictorial history of the Republic of China,
published under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of China, Taiwan,
in 1981. In a chapter devoted to contemporary Taiwan there are two photos showing
young people doing exercises and having fun, and the accompanying text says that
they belong to the China Youth Salvation Corps. In both photos it can be seen the
same flag, so I guess it is the flag of this Corps (or it was, since I don't know
if it still exists).
José Manuel Erbez, 02 October 1999
The China Youth Anti-Communist National Salvation Corps (to give its full title)
was established in 1952. As its name suggests, its original purpose was to provide
military trainings to youths before they were drafted into the Nationalist Armed
Forces. In recent years it has lost much of its militaristic character, although
military camps remain one of the many activities it offers, and its flag remains
in use. The green field of the flag is self-explanatory, symbolizing growth and
youthfulness. It may be helpful to note that the shortened title 'National Salvation
Corps' is the term normally used within Taiwan, while 'China Youth Corps' or CYC
are common in English.
Miles Li, 14 November, 1999
At a ceremony in Taipei on Dec.1, 1952, Chiang Ching-Kuo, leader of the CYC and later president of Taiwan, commented on the CYC flag:
Blue sky and white sun represent the ethnic soul, represent the three national principles, represent the Republic of China... The three red horizontal lines symbolize the revolutionary determination of fearing no pain, fearing no difficulty and fearing no sacrifice, red symbolizes youth's blood and passion, we need to give our lives to an adorable yet turbulent motherland. Green symbolizes our Chinese youth's eternal youthfulness, Chinese youth is the Chinese race's springtime, never grow old, never feel discouraged, ever victorious.
Source: The Complete Works of Mr Chiang Ching-Kuo, News Bureau of the Executive
Yuan, Taipei, 1991, Vol.4, p.357.
MIles Li 25 May 2000
On October 25, 2000, the China Youth Anti-Communist National Salvation Corps
dropped the 'Anti-Communist' from its full title, so it's now China Youth National
Salvation Corps, or in short National Salvation Corps in Chinese, China Youth Corps
in English, or just CYC. On the Corps' official website
(in Chinese www.cyc.org.tw) the corps'
flags are now shown much less conspicuously on a photograph to the point of being
almost invisible. Not sure if that's enough to purge its Nationalist militaristic
past.
Miles Li, 26 December 2002