Representing the five principal lodges of the Hung Society, the flags of the ranks were placed within the Tiandihui initiation ceremony grounds. The flag shown is the flag of the ‘bo’ or earl. The flags of the ranks comprised of the flags of the ‘nan’ or baron, the ‘hou’ or marquis, the ‘zi’ or viscount, and the ‘gong’ or duke. These five flags were part of the secret society paraphernalia found in the William Stirling Collection. William George Stirling was the Assistant Protector of Chinese in Singapore from 1921 to 1931.
