Hong Kong flag

The Hong Kong emblem known as bauhinia blakeana strategically adorns the Hong Kong flag since the year nineteen hundred and ninety seven.

This shrub like plant grows to a height of about eight meters and has an innocuous appearance for the better part of the year. The leaves of these plants are often compared to a camel’s hoof considering that the leaves are eight to fifteen centimeters long and tip is notched.

The English name, Hong Kong Orchid Tree owes its origin to the phenomenon of blooming of the bauhinia blakeana plant which results in purple magenta flowers constituted by five petals and look like they belong to a orchid and hence the English name!

The Hong Kong flag’s emblem of pride – the Hong Kong Orchid Tree blooms from November to March. The emblem adorns Hong Kong coins and notes in addition to the Hong Kong flag making it a familiar symbol in Hong Kong.

Botanically the Bauhinia was discovered in the eighteen eighties and the biological classification is controversial with one school of thought of the opinion that the tree is not really a species. On the contrary it is considered that it is a hybrid and all of today’s plants have originated from one single plant, which grew on the West Coast of Hong Kong Island as long back as the nineteenth century.

The Forever Blooming Bauhinia sculpture on Expo Promenade has more than accorded an eternal status to this stylized emblem, which adorns the Hong Kong flag.

If you are interested to see the daily flag raising ceremony, you may visit Golden Bauhinia Square at Wan Chai shorefront near Hong Kong Convention Center.