"I saw a woman at the Dayan Tower Square in Xi'an yesterday, and she was truly hateful! She actually used our national flag as a skirt! I really wanted to tear the flag off her!" Recently, a post by the netizen "News Hunter" on the Western Network forum titled "Infuriating! How can you use the national flag as a cover-up, Xi'an beauty?" has drawn significant attention from a wide range of netizens.
The pictures posted by the netizen show a young woman walking on the street wearing a short skirt printed with the pattern of the national flag of the People's Republic of China, which appears particularly striking. Based on the netizen's post and the surrounding environment, it is judged that this woman appeared near the Dayan Tower, a window scenic area in Xi'an.
Some curious netizens speculated: This skirt is obviously made directly from a national flag, and when unfolded, it becomes a flag. The netizen who posted the thread expressed even more indignation, saying he wished he could "tear the flag off her!"
For this unusual behavior of the woman, netizen "Wa Ta Da Jiu" sighed: Alas! Ugly people always do strange things! Some other netizens called her ignorant and joked that "ignorance is bliss!"
However, netizen "Half-Open Flower" showed understanding for her: "Maybe she loves her country too much, and wants to prove she is Chinese, so she did this!"
After investigation, the reporter found that wearing clothes with the national flag design is not a rare thing. During the finals of the Sixth China Swimsuit Design Competition held in the "Water Cube," there were beautiful models strutting their stuff in swimsuits designed with the national flag, which also sparked intense discussions among netizens.
Supporters argued that wearing clothes with the national flag design is harmless. A close look at the provisions of the "National Flag Law" shows that according to Article 18, as long as it is not used as a trademark or advertisement, and as long as it is not parodying, printing the national flag pattern on fashion to show patriotism should not be considered illegal, just like fans painting the national flag pattern on their faces to cheer for the Chinese team.
On the other hand, opponents expressed that this act disrespected the national flag. Bikini fashion models in the Water Cube walked the runway draped in five-star red flags, and printing the national flag pattern on bikinis might be considered defiling the national flag. I believe the organizers did not consider the acceptance level of Chinese citizens before the event, and they deserve condemnation.
For this reason, the reporter specially looked up the "National Flag Law of the People's Republic of China." However, the "National Flag Law" does not make explicit regulations regarding this matter. Article 18 stipulates that the national flag and its patterns shall not be used as trademarks or advertisements, nor shall they be used for private funeral activities. Article 19 stipulates that those who intentionally insult the national flag of the People's Republic of China in public by burning, damaging, painting, defiling, trampling, etc., shall be held criminally liable according to law; if the circumstances are relatively minor, the public security organ shall impose administrative detention for no more than fifteen days in accordance with the penalty provisions of the Public Security Administration Punishment Regulations.
Netizens also stated that such behavior is not clearly illegal, but at the same time, they claimed that the national flag is a symbol of national and ethnic dignity, and making it into clothing is indeed inappropriate.