Chinese flag captured during the Taiping rebellion. It is associated with the screw gunboat HMS Hardy involved in the storming and recapture of Ningpo from the Taipings by English, French and Imperial Chinese forces on 10 May 1862. The flag is rectangular in shape, with the hoist or pole sleeve running across the upper edge. It is made of white silk, hand-sewn, with a border and hoist of brownish red silk. Painted in the centre is a large red Chinese character signifying the surname 'Chen', possibly the Taiping leader Chen Yucheng. This is surrounded by eight brightly colored Buddhist symbols— the wheel, the conch shell, the umbrella, the canopy, the lotus, the vase the paired fish and the entrails or endless knot. The design is painted on the right side only, although it can be seen on the reverse. Date made in 1862.
Source: https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/552.html
