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Thursday, August 13, 2015

Variations on British and American Themes: More Motorbikes in Shanghai

I previously noted that the Union Jack designs common on motorbikes in Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Changsha show varying degrees of faithfulness to the flag of the U.K. For example, the front of one motorbike I saw in Shanghai was missing about half of the blue coloring normally found on the flag.

motorbike with a design similar to the U.K. flag


Sometimes the design takes an even greater leap.

motorbike with a design appearing to be a creative variant of the U.K. flag


The prevalence of the Union Jack design on motorbikes likely increases the chance someone would appreciate the resemblance. And the Union Jack sticker on the front of the motorbike especially suggests it isn't a coincidence.

Another motorbike I saw displayed a design which was more subtly reminiscent of the flag of the U.S. than other designs.

motorbike with a red, white, and blue design with white stars and the word "FOREVER"


Whatever the degree of similarity, questions can be asked about the designers' and owners' intents and how the designs are perceived. I will later touch on these questions in regards to a similar trend in clothing, where I have seen an even greater range of designs possibly inspired by the flags of the U.K. and the U.S.

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