The Rise, Controversies, and Future of Chinese Domestic Operating Systems and the Mulan Programming Language

Amid escalating trade disputes, many Chinese users have high expectations for domestically developed software, yet repeated disappointments have emerged under the banner of "independent development".

On January 17, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Computing Technology announced the release of the homegrown programming language "Mulan", touting ease of learning, strong compatibility, AI and IoT support, and cross‑platform operation on Android, iOS, Linux, and Windows, as well as support for Chinese processors such as Loongson and Cambricon. However, the project quickly faced criticism, with developers accusing Mulan of being a mere re‑branded Python; the team leader later apologized for overstating its independence.

Shortly after, the unified operating system UOS attracted attention. Officially presented as a milestone for Chinese tech, UOS was later accused of being a simple re‑skin of Deepin V20, with identical visual design and unchanged logo. Users and bloggers reported that UOS is essentially Deepin with a different name, sparking a wave of online criticism.

The article then shifts to Red Flag Linux, a historic Chinese Linux distribution dating back to 1999. After a series of corporate restructurings, acquisitions, and a 2014 liquidation, Red Flag Linux resurfaced under new ownership, continuing to serve government, enterprise, and personal users. Recent releases (Red Flag Linux 10) feature GNOME 3.28, Linux kernel 4.18, and support for domestic chips (Loongson, Zhaoxin, etc.), with a desktop layout reminiscent of Windows to ease user adoption.

Despite the challenges, the piece highlights official support from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and statements from prominent engineers emphasizing the strategic importance of an independent OS for national information security. It concludes with a hopeful note that, after years of setbacks, Chinese operating systems like Red Flag Linux may regain momentum and fulfill their original mission.