Tibet

The Tibetan flag, also known as the "snow lion flag" and the "Free Tibet flag," was a flag of the military of Tibet, introduced by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1912 and used in the same capacity until 1959. Designed with the help of a Japanese priest, it reflects the design motif of the Japanese military's Rising Sun flag. Since the 1960s, it is used a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement. According to the Central Tibetan Administration website, the symbolism of the flag includes the mountain representing Tibet, the snow lions of "a unified spiritual and secular life," three-colored jewel of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The flag was adopted as a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement and has become known as the "Free Tibet flag". The flag is banned in mainland China.