Thousands of British flags were ordered from a company in China after Queen Elizabeth II’s demise on September 8. More than 100 workers were diverted from other tasks to create flags with British themes, according to the news agency The Associated Press. This comes following a diplomatic row in which Chinese officials were denied access to the late monarch’s tomb.
At the Shaoxing Chuangdong Tour Articles Co. in the southern part of Shanghai, workers used to put in about 14 hours each day and would often begin their shifts early. The first week saw at least 500,000 people participate, according to general manager Fan Aiping. Some British flags were to be flown outside residences or carried by mourners, according to the newspaper. The Queen’s image and the dates of her birth and death were displayed on a number of flags.
The manufactured flags had widths ranging from 21 to 150 centimetres and were sold in bulk for around one dollar each. According to Fan, the first purchaser placed an order for tens of thousands of flags at 3 am (local time). She continued by saying that the factory had roughly 20,000 items in stock that morning. AP cited Fan as saying, ‘The customer came right to our factory to pick up the goods. There were many flags that weren’t even wrapped. They were packaged and transported away’.
Following an intervention by Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, an official Chinese delegation was prohibited from attending the Queen’s lying-in-state. Wang Qishan, China’s vice president, did, however, attend the Queen’s funeral afterwards. ‘On the request of the UK government, President Xi Jinping’s Special Representative Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the burial of Queen Elizabeth II to be held in London on September 19,’ said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry.
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