CPC Corporation, Taiwan, commonly known as 台灣中油 (Taiwan CPC), is the state-owned oil and gas company of Taiwan. Its visual identity is built around a torch symbol enclosed by three concentric blue rings, with the Chinese character 資 (zī) positioned beneath the torch. This mark has remained essentially unchanged since the company’s founding in 1946, making it one of the longest-lived corporate logos in Taiwan’s energy sector.
Design and History
The company was established on June 1, 1946, in Shanghai as the Chinese Petroleum Corporation (中國石油有限公司), under the jurisdiction of the National Resources Commission (資源委員會). In December of that same year, the company adopted its trademark based on an official document and a color three-ring design from its Shanghai headquarters: a torch with the character 資 surrounded by three blue rings. The 資 character refers to the Resources Commission, the government agency that originally oversaw the company. Despite subsequent reorganizations and the 2007 renaming from Chinese Petroleum Corporation to CPC Corporation, Taiwan, the logo has never been changed and remains the same torch-and-three-rings design today.[1]
In 1987, CPC introduced a formal corporate identity system (CIS), which included the corporate logo, logotype, graphics design, and color scheme. This marked the first time the company systematically applied its visual identity across gas stations and corporate materials.[2] The company’s official materials describe the logo as the “torch + 中油” trademark, registered and used continuously since the CIS rollout.[3]
In 2024, CPC began exploring a logo refresh. The company publicly tendered a project in March 2024 and commissioned a professional design firm in April of that year to evaluate potential optimizations to the torch logo and corporate identity.[4] The well-known Taiwanese designer Nieh Yung-jen (聶永真) was awarded the contract for approximately NT$980,000. However, in May 2026, CPC’s chairman announced that the logo replacement plan had been temporarily suspended, citing the substantial costs of updating signage, uniforms, documents, and related identity systems across all locations, as well as the company’s current financial situation.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The three concentric blue rings in the CPC logo are the emblem of the former National Resources Commission, the government body that managed state-owned industrial enterprises during the Republic of China era. According to a 1948 publication from Taiwan Power Company, the three rings represent “light, heat, and service,” carrying the meaning of “national resources” heritage. Companies that were once under the Resources Commission, including CPC, Taiwan Power Company, and Taiwan Sugar Corporation, all used this three-ring element in their logos. Among these, CPC is the only one that still retains the 資 character beneath the rings.[6]
The torch itself symbolizes energy and illumination, and CPC’s official annual report describes the torch logo as representing the company shining like the morning sun upon the public.[7] The company’s official news release also describes the CPC corporate identity as red, white, and blue, symbolizing “hospitable services.”[8]
Typography and Design
The CPC logo combines the torch-and-three-rings symbol with the company name in Chinese characters. The official trademark registrations include both “中國及火炬圖 資” (China and Torch Design 資) and “中油 資” (CPC 資) versions, indicating that the logotype has appeared with both the full company name and the abbreviated 中油 form.[9] The company’s CIS materials describe the trademark as “torch + 中國石油” and “torch + 中油,” both registered and used since the 1987 corporate identity implementation.[3]
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