🇲🇴 The colours of Macau

Macau’s flag features emerald green, white, and gold. Green stands for the region itself, white shows the lotus, bridge, and water, while gold stars reflect Macau’s connection to China. Each element on the flag carries meaning tied to Macau’s identity, geography, and political ties.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• The lotus flower is Macau’s official floral emblem.
• Five gold stars on the flag echo the design of China’s flag.
• The bridge shown is the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge.
• White water on the flag stands for Macau’s port and maritime role.
• The flag was designed by Xiao Hong before the 1999 handover.

The colours of the flag of Macau

The flag of Macau is mostly emerald green, with a white lotus flower, a stylised bridge, and water also in white. Above these, five gold stars are arranged in a curve, with one larger star in the centre and two smaller ones on each side. The green background is meant to represent Macau itself. The lotus flower is Macau’s chosen floral symbol, while the bridge and water highlight its geography as a port city. The five stars mirror those on China’s flag, marking Macau’s link to its sovereign state. These meanings are officially recognised.

How the colours were chosen of Macau

Before 1999, Macau used the Portuguese flag officially, and at times a light blue flag with the colony’s coat of arms. There were also proposals for flags that combined Portuguese symbols with local emblems, but none became official. In the years leading up to the handover to China, several flag designs were suggested, many using green, red, and gold, with motifs like the lotus, stars, and local landmarks. The current flag, designed by Xiao Hong, was adopted just before the 1999 handover.

Official shades and rules of Macau

The Basic Law of Macau sets out that the regional flag must be green with five stars, a lotus, a bridge, and water. The law allows Macau to use this flag alongside China’s national flag. While the flag’s design and elements are defined by law, no official colour codes for the shades are given in the sources.