Yes the Nazis were probably the lowest variety of human scum ever created, but after fify year you can't display a nazi flag, thats insane.

China flies the communist flag every day, Mao and friends killed more people than hitler did, American states still fly the confederate flag, even though it supported slavery, Britain still flies the Union Jack even though the empire subgegated tens of millions of people.

Why is there particular hatered of the German flag.

You can still fly the Japanese flag in Hong Kong, yet Japan invaded China and murdered tens of thousands of innocent people.

Shouldn't people let this one rest by now, Stalin killed more of his own people than hitler did yet hitler is more hated in Russia than their former oppressor is.

This is not a question of moral relativism of which tradegy is worse. The "German" flag you refer to is that of the Nazis - modern Germany has a different flag and national anthem. You cannot "leave the past be" and display the flags of that era without deliberately referring to the Nazis and all they did. In the case of China the flag represents many things, including the excesses of Mao and the CCP, but it remains the modern symbol of China. Japan uses a different flag to what it used in WW2. Symbols matter.

My main point remains: there seems to be a widespread ignorance of non-Chinese history within these parts.

Simon, the wife caught me with this during our trip to Leeds last fall. While we were browsing around the shops in one of the landmarks converted in to mini-mall, she pointed to t-shirts that were emblazoned with the Japanese military "Rising Sun" flag. I doubt that many locals would have understood how offensive that symbol is.

For all of our global conversation, there is still a lot of ignorance globally. I'm thankful that when the shop owner was explained the issues, that he expressed regret and made things right. These are things absent from a lot of world leaders lately.

yeah, it's ok for the chinese to whinge and wring their hands whenever the topic of the japanese occupation crops up. 'cos it's a complete loss of face to be subjugated at the hands of a lesser foreign devil.

i had a really hard time explaining to some singaporean chinese about auswitchz (sp?) and the pogroms once but guess wot i got in return? mere shrugs and this retort: "weeelllll, it's not OUR problem, what."

heh. they were all cut from the same cloth.

For the record, a German with the ear of the Nazi government saved many thousands of lives in Nanjing by using the understanding between Japan and Germany to form a protected region in the city.

Many thousands of Chinese owe their safety to the NAZI. The Nazi flag has a twin edge in China.

The Flag is also two or three thousand years old and was first used by the Romans, as was the Imperial Eagle used by Germany.

I would also like to say that the US marine corp. Uniforms on sale in many shops in China are a symbol of the continuing US occupation of several countries and are considered to be very offensive to a many Muslims, Arabs, and people, including my self who's countries were occupied by the US after the war and were never fully repatriated.

Flags are a tricky thing aren’t they.

Remember the past, but don’t live in it.

ACB: A small point. That a particular individual of the Nazi regime did good deeds in China is commendable. However those Nazi symbols represent a systematic genocidal war machine with unambigious meaning. Not to mention the Nazis were Japan's allies and I am sure I don't need to remind you of Japan's history with China during and before WW2. There is no excusing the imagery, just like using the "rising sun" imagery of imperial Japan is inexcusable.