The red of the Chinese flag has two historical bases. It expresses the revolutionary communist philosophy that has dominated China since 1949, red is also the traditional ethnic color of the Han, who form the overwhelming majority in the country. In the first republic, established in 1912, these five colors formed horizontal stripes in the national flag. the symbolism of five was reflected in the stars appearing in yellow in the upper hoist canton. The large star was said to stand for the Chinese Communist Party and its leading role in guiding the nation. The smaller stars, one point of each of which aims at the center of the large star, were associated with the four social classes united in the coalition supporting the party—the proletariat, the peasants, the petty bourgeoisie, and the “patriotic capitalists.” Later, reinterpretations of the party structure led to a revised symbolism: the large star was said to stand for China, the smaller stars for the country’s many national minorities.