I'm not sure. The PRC says that the "five stars symbolize the solidarity of the various nationalities of China", and "the five stars signify the unity of the people of China under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party" and this is further supported by the fact that the National Emblem has symbols for the proletariat and the peasantry distinct from the stars. However, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Ghana says "the larger star represents the CPC, while the four smaller ones, the Chinese people". I think it would be strange for a single ethnic group to be represented by a larger star, (unless it relates to population size), so I probably favor this explanation. I know I'm conflating the stars on the national emblem with the stars on the national flag but the fact that they are the same number and both encircle a larger star seems to suggest they represent the same concept. I found the explanation you were talking about in this article, which also says the flag design was determined by a competition, which I didn't know! The article also mentions that this meaning is found in Mao's speech ON THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP , however this contained no mention of the flag. You might also notice that this speech contains more hostile language against national bourgeois collaboration in building socialism, but this is explained, "During the War of Resistance Against Japan, all those classes, strata and social groups opposing Japanese aggression came within the category of the people, while the Japanese imperialists, their Chinese collaborators and the pro-Japanese elements were all enemies of the people. During the War of Liberation, the U.S. imperialists and their running dogs -- the bureaucrat-capitalists, the landlords and the Kuomintang reactionaries who represented these two classes -- were the enemies of the people, while the other classes, strata and social groups, which opposed them, all came within the category of the people. At the present stage, the period of building socialism, the classes, strata and social groups which favour, support and work for the cause of socialist construction all come within the category of the people, while the social forces and groups which resist the socialist revolution and are hostile to or sabotage socialist construction are all enemies of the people." The latter speech is from eight years after the former, hence Mao said in the former "the Kuomintang reactionaries whom we are now overthrowing". Notice also that the national bourgeoisie is still oppressed, they cannot own land and lease it, landlording is illegal, the national bourgeoisie is tolerated only inasmuch they contribute to the building of socialism, as Mao said, and eventually they will go extinct. Back to the point, the wiki article on the flag is a whole heap of "citation needed". If you can show me an official source concretely describing the meaning of the flag that would be very well.