from /r/vexillology
Top comment: Warning: LONG The Great Chang banner (大常/太常) is also called Banner of Celestial Bodies (辰旒). This banner reigns supreme among other banners specified in the [Zhou Dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_dynasty)'s ritual system (which was still adopted and implemented by later dynasties. The "great" part is written either 太(tai) or 大(da), but their meanings are essentially identical. If we were to treat an absolute monarchy's royal banner/standard as the state's national flag (anyone remember that Russian yellow flag with a black double-headed eagle holding four maps?), then yeah, this flag would be the Ancient Chinese kingdoms' flag. In summary: * 《[唐通典·职官七·太常卿](https://ctext.org/text.pl?node=553367)》: 颜师古曰：太常者，王之旌也，画日月焉。 [*Comprehensive Institutions of Tang*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongdian)*·Government Offices part 7·Minister of Ceremonies*: Tang historian [Yan Shigu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Shigu) said: **The Great Chang is the monarch's flag, with the sun and the moon illustrated on it**. \*Note that the minister of ceremonies (太常/太常卿) shares the same name as the flag itself. The paragraph from the *Rites of Zhou* below assigned different Chinese characters to what in English can be described as just flags. Basically it's like "this flag (for this usage) is called this" so I'll just use the pinyin Chang for convenience. * 《[周礼·春官](https://ctext.org/rites-of-zhou/chun-guan-zong-bo)》：司常：掌九旗之物名，各有屬，以待國事。日月為常，交龍為旗，通帛為旃，雜帛為物，熊虎為旗，鳥隼為旟，龜蛇為旐，全羽為旞，析羽為旌。及國之大閱，贊司馬頒旗物：王建大常，諸侯建旗，孤卿建旃，大夫、士建物，師都建旗，州里建旟，縣鄙建旐，道車載旞，斿車載旌。 [*Rites of Zhou*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rites_of_Zhou)*·Offices of Spring*: Ceremonial Minister of Chang: they are responsible for handling the nine banenrs, which belong to various groups, in order to carry out ceremonial activities. Banners featuring the sun & moon are called Cháng (常). They are for the monarch. Banners featuring (only) the alternating dragons are called Qí (旗). They are for the vassal lords. Banners with their field and decorations made with pure red fabric are called Zhān (旃). They are for the high-position court officials. Banners with their field made with pure red fabric but with their decorations made with white fabric are called Wù (物). They are for the scholar-officials. Banners featuring bears and tigers are also called Qí (旗). They are for the officials governing the outskirts. Banners featuring raptors are called Yú (旟). They are for the officials governing the inner cities. Banners featuring turtles and snakes are called Zhào (旐). They are for the officials governing Bi's (500 households) and Xian's (2500 households). Banners made with all colorful decorative feathers are called Suì (旞). They are for the monarch's carriage pulled by 20 horses. Banners made with selected handful of the feathers are called Jīng (旌). They are for the monarch's carriage pulled by 36 horses. The [*Qing Imperial Encyclopaedia*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujin_Tushu_Jicheng) (欽定古今圖書集成) can come in handy since they compiled many previous dynasties' documents together. [The Three Rites Illustrated](https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E6%AC%BD%E5%AE%9A%E5%8F%A4%E4%BB%8A%E5%9C%96%E6%9B%B8%E9%9B%86%E6%88%90/%E7%B6%93%E6%BF%9F%E5%BD%99%E7%B7%A8/%E6%88%8E%E6%94%BF%E5%85%B8/%E7%AC%AC269%E5%8D%B7) (三禮圖) section has some pictures and offers these sources: * 《周礼·春官·巾车》：王乘玉輅，建太常十有二斿以祀。 *Rites of Zhou·Offices of Spring·Curtained Carriage*: When the monarch travels by his carriage, the Great Chang with twelve stripes is hoisted. * 《儀禮注疏·卷十·覲禮》：王建太常，縿首畫日月，其下及斿交，畫升龍降龍。 *Annotations on the* [*Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_and_Ceremonial)*·Volume 10·Etiquettes of Presenting at Court*: The monarch flies the Great Chang, with the sun and the moon illustrated on hoist, and with rising and descending dragons drawn underneath it and on the stripes. About the inclusion of stars (can be seen in many illustrations), the below document may support that: * 《孝經注疏》：案鄭注《周禮·司服》稱，至周而以日、月、星辰畫於旌旗，所謂「三辰旂旗，昭其明也」。 *Annotations on the* [*Classic of Filial Piety*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Filial_Piety): According to Han scholar [Zheng Xuan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_Xuan)'s annotation on the *Rites of Zhou·Administrator of Costumes*, during Zhou Dynasty the sun, moon & stars were drawn on the banner, signifying that "The banner of the three celestial bodies demonstrates brilliance (this part in quote marks originated from [*Zuo zhuan*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuo_zhuan))." Detailed measurements were not really available. I only managed to find the proportion of horizontal lengths from the [*Book of the Later Han*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Later_Han). Artists didn't really strictly followed them. * 《[後漢書·志·舆服上](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%BE%8C%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B7119)》：天子五路，(...), 建太常，十有二斿，九仞曳地，日月升龍，象天明也。 *Book of the Later Han·Records on Clothing part I*: The monarch has five carriages. (...) \[The carriages\] hoist the Great Chang, with twelve nine-ren-long stripes touching the ground. It features the sun, moon, and rising dragons, symbolizing the heaven's brilliance. * 《[後漢書·志·禮儀下](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%BE%8C%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B796)》：旂之制，長三仞，十有二游，曳地，畫日、月、升龍 *Book of the Later Han·Records on Etiquettes part III*: The flag is three rens long, with twelve stripes touching the ground. The sun, moon, and rising dragons are illustrated on it. The sun & moon are the most significant components. Various historical examples at least maintained that. What other things should be added onto it seemed to vary. Some other resources for reference: * [All the Great Changs illustrated in the two Ming paintings of *Departure Herald Imperial Procession Leaving the Palace* & *Return Clearing Imperial Procession Returning to the Palace* (出警圖&入蹕圖)](https://i.imgur.com/l5afoqu.jpg) * [*Collected Rites of Great Ming* (大明集禮) Volume 43 (page 8 on this PDF)](https://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/wa04/wa04_06292/wa04_06292_0032/wa04_06292_0032.pdf) * [The Nine-Banner System Diagram from the Ming book *the Seven Classics Illustrated* (七經圖](http://gmzm.org/bbooks/%E7%BB%BC%E5%90%88%E7%B1%BB/%E4%B8%83%E7%BB%8F%E5%9B%BE/%E5%8D%B711%E8%87%B312/index.asp?page=59)[)](http://gmzm.org/bbooks/%E7%BB%BC%E5%90%88%E7%B1%BB/%E4%B8%83%E7%BB%8F%E5%9B%BE/%E5%8D%B711%E8%87%B312/index.asp?page=59) * Bonus: 16-17th century Japanese painter [Kano Sansetsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kan%C5%8D_Sansetsu)'s [*Song of Everlasting Regret Emaki*](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/visual-art/art-in-focus-song-of-lasting-sorrow-by-kano-sansetsu-1.3673449) has a [Tang official holding the Great Chang in his hand as if it's a regular flag](https://i.imgur.com/RiJDKlt.png).
