American Flag Love

 　　When it comes to the United States, people will immediately think of the beautiful scenery of Hawaii and the skyscrapers of Chicago. However, when I came to the United States this time, in addition to these natural and cultural landscapes, what shocked me the most was the kind of American condensed on the national flag. Hot emotion.

　　Arriving in Chicago by plane, as soon as I walked out of the international airport, a magnificent sight immediately caught my eye. In the spacious square, a row of flagpoles were erected high, and the American flags hung on them fluttered in the wind. At any location, the clattering sound of the flag flying can be clearly heard, as if to remind everyone that this is the United States.

　　I thought this was just the need for the airport to serve as a window for publicity. Later, I found that in the clean and green Chicago, this blue star, red and white flag can be said to be flying all over the city and can be seen everywhere. Walking on the street, many shops are hoisted with national flags, and even the stalls selling fast food and cold drinks are showing off small national flags. I really feel that Americans have a special feeling for the flag.

　　There is a small fast food restaurant next to the hotel where I live. Every day near noon, the owner will use an iron fence about 1 meter high to enclose a place on the sidewalk facing the street, and place tables and chairs for guests to eat. At the top of these fences, there are a row of delicate small flower pots hanging one by one, which are full of flowers of various colors, and in the middle of each pot is a small beautifully made national flag, which is against the bright red flowers and green grass. Very eye-catching below. An American friend told me that when it comes to summer, Chicago people like the cool natural wind very much, so many restaurants will operate in a shady place in front of the door during this season. In order to create a pleasing dining environment, the owner will carefully decorate the fence. Among the many decorative items, in addition to the colorful flowers, the national flag is one of the important ornaments.

　　In the United States, I also found that the lawns or flower pots of many people's courtyards have national flags of different sizes, especially in suburban villas, and many people's large lawns in front of their houses even hunt for national flags. I asked my American friends, "Why do so many people plant and hang the national flag when the Chinese New Year is not a festival?" The American friends couldn't say why, but shrugged and told me, "Maybe this is a hobby!"

　　What amazes me the most is that the flag is also widely used by Americans in various commercial advertisements. In the store, you can often see the advertisements of the products with the national flag printed on them, and many merchants are even more ingenious, using the products they sell to form advertisements in the shape of the national flag to attract customers. I saw in a shoe store that the store put red, blue and white shoes into a national flag, and then made it into an advertisement and hung it in a prominent position at the door, with a strong visual impact. It is even more common to incorporate national flag elements into daily commodities, ranging from clothing and apparel to small handicrafts and children's toys. Various artistic flag patterns can be found everywhere.

　　American friends told me that due to historical reasons, Americans have a special feeling for the national flag. Every grand festival, especially the "Independence Day" on July 4, the whole country will become a sea of ​​national flags. The national flags big and small fluttered in the wind everywhere. And it is also a habit of Americans to fly the national flag at ordinary times. Many people will take a special small flag when they participate in some lively social activities. It is no exaggeration to say that the flag has been integrated into every aspect of American life.

　　In my mind, the national flag has always been solemn, sacred, awe-inspiring and inviolable, but in the United States, apart from these, there seems to be more intimacy and affection between people and the flag. I asked my American friends: "Why do you love the national flag so much? Even the national flag occupies a very important position in your life?" My friend told me: "Americans believe that the country is difficult to see and touch, and the national flag belongs to the country. The symbol, seeing it is like seeing the country very intuitively, holding the country in my own hands, at the same time keeping my heart at ease, and always remembering that I am an American, and more importantly, through my love for the flag, I can directly and directly Show your love for your country!”