This site specializes in information on Chinese civilian & military orders, decorations, & medals from the Qing Dynasty, the Republic and the People's Republic periods.

The Victory Order and Medals of the Republic of China

Paul L. T. Kua

1995 marked the 50 Anniversary of the V-J day.  It seems an appropriate time to revisit the subject of Chinese Victory medals issued in its celebration.

At the end of World War II, when the Japanese Government surrendered to the Allied forces on    September 2, 1945, there were two Chinese forces contending for ultimate control of China.  The Nationalists, under the leadership of Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek, headed the Government of the Republic of China, which was recognized as the legitimate government of China by most of the world.  The Communists, under the leadership of Mao Ze Dong, has effective control of large, usually more remote, areas of China and challenged the authority of the Nationalists.  Both the Nationalists and the Communists had been involved in years of struggle with the Japanese invaders in various parts of China.  Both of them had issued their own Victory Order and Medal(s) in commemoration of this struggle.  This article focuses on the official Victory Order and Medals issued by the Nationalist Republic government at the end of World War II(1).

To most Chinese, the Second World War was often known by the more nationalistic and emotional name of “Kang Ri Zhan Zheng”,  the War of Resistance Against the Japanese, or “Ba Nian Kang Zhan” , the 8-year War of Resistance.  

Japanese imperialist designs on China went way back..  At the end of the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, Li Hung Chang, the plenipotentiary of the Qing Dynasty, was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki.  In it, China agreed to cede Formosa (Taiwan), pay 230 million taels of silver as indemnity, etc., for a war started by the Japanese and fought solely in Korea and northern parts of China.  This was followed by the attack and attempted control of the Shantung province during World War I in 1914, the attack on the three provinces in Manchuria in 1931-32 and the subsequent creation of the puppet Manchukuo, the attack on Shanghai in 1932, and the occupation of the province of Jehol in 1933(2).

But officially, the War of Resistance Against the Japanese began in 1937, and it ended with the Japanese surrender in 1945.  According to the Nationalist Chinese Board of Military Operations , this war could be broken down into 3 phases as follows(3):

On July 7th, 1937, the Japanese Kwantung Army massed near the Marco Polo Bridge (or the Lu Kou Bridge), only 10 kilometers from the Chinese capital of Peking(4).  On being refused passage of the Bridge to search for a “missing” Japanese soldier, it fired on the Chinese defense forces.  Control of the Bridge changed hands three times during that day but remained with the Chinese, amid fierce fighting. By the end of July, the Japanese had accumulated large reinforcements, and finally crossed the Bridge and then eventually took over Peking and Tianjin, two key northern cities.  The “Incident of July 7th” is usually considered as the first battle of the Resistance War.  At this point in time, the Japanese war minister General Sugiyama informed Emperor Hirohito that the Japanese would win the war in China within one month(5).

From August of 1937, large scale fighting broke out in Shanghai.  In this battle, the Japanese mobilized a powerful striking force of 200,000 people, 130 ships and 400 planes.  By November, Shanghai was in Japanese hands.  The loss of Shanghai basically left nearby Nanjing indefensible. In December, Nanjing fell.  This was followed by 6 weeks of mass and indiscriminate killings, rapings and lootings by the Japanese soldiers in the City.  Current estimates put total number of people killed in the “Nanjing Massacre” at around 300,000(6).

The battles from July, 1937 through December, 1937, as outlined above, started the 8-Year War of Resistance.  The first phase of this War ended with the Fall of Hankow in October, 1938.  The second phase ended with Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor and Hongkong (and the consequent declaration of war against the Japanese by the U.S. and Britain) in December, 1941.  The third and final phase of the War ended with the dropping of atomic bombs by the U.S. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945.  

This War of Resistance resulted in years of suffering and countless defeats for the Chinese.  The Nationalist and the Communist forces managed to cling on to various parts of China despite losing most of the large urban areas. They also managed to engage and bog down the bulk of the forces of the Japanese Imperial Army, making Japanese aggression elsewhere in Asia difficult to pursue.  But, as F.F. Liu puts it, “ ...China could claim no definite and devastating victory over the Japanese.  She simply proved that she could not be defeated by them, that she could withstand--and occasionally trounce--a first-class military power in a war which lasted eight years...”(7)  It is doubtful that the Chinese could have won the War by 1945 if the Japanese didn’t over-extend themselves and if the Americans and the other allies did not participate in this effort.  And while the Chinese was eventually victorious, the human cost was tremendous.  Official estimates put Chinese military deaths at 1.3 millions, and civilian deaths at 35 millions(8).  After the First Sino-Japanese War 50 years ago, the victorious Japanese extracted very substantial rewards.  In contrast, after the War of Resistance, the Chinese did not receive any indemnity.

After the Japanese surrender, the Nationalist Republic government created, on three separate occasions between October, 1945 and October, 1946, an Order of Victory, a Victory Medal, and a Victory Commemoration Medal(9).  On October 10th, 1945, the Republic Government implemented a set of regulations for the granting of the “Order of Victory of Resistance Against Aggression(§Ü ¾Ô ³Ó §Q ³Ô ³¹ )”.  The original regulations in Chinese contain 6 articles.  Article 2 states that this Order comes in one class only, and can be issued to both Chinese and foreigners who have contributed significantly to the victory in the War of Resistance, and that the Order is to be awarded by the President of the Republic.  Article 3 states the criteria for the award of this Order to government employees, which presumably include both civilian and military personnel.  The criteria include contribution to overall planning and strategy of the War of Resistance, the defense of the territory, loyalty despite persecution by enemy forces and/or Chinese puppet governments, and long and faithful service throughout the War.  Article 4 states the criteria for non-government personnel.  The criteria include contribution to national defense through major inventions, improvements in production and transportation of materials, efforts to relief the plights of refugees and to protect and educate young children, success in boosting people’s morale and developing talents , and, again, loyalty despite persecution by enemy forces and/or Chinese puppet governments.  There is a one year limitation for the recommendation and award of this Order, starting October 10, 1945.

It appears that when the Order of Victory was created, the intention was to have a one-class award. In a war which was so extensive and lasted so long, everybody made great sacrifices and suffered tremendously.  It was, understandably, difficult to differentiate the level of contribution by each individual.  That may have been the reason for the original decision to adopt a one-class award.  But by January 8,  1946, for whatever reasons, the Regulations were revised to include a “Medal of Victory of Resistance Against Aggression”.  There is also a one year limitation for the recommendation and award of the Medal.  While the Order and the Medal were officially described as two separate one-class awards, it is obvious that the Victory Medal is meant to be a lower grade award  to complement the Order of Victory.  The two awards are very similar in design( the Medal being less elaborate), and they, in fact, share the same set of regulations.

By October, 1946, a third award, the “Medal in Commemoration of Victory of the Resistance Against Aggression”, was created for military and civilian personnel who served during the 8-Year War of Resistance.  Unlike the earlier two awards, this one does not have a time limitation.  Mr. John E. Lelle, with the assistance of Colonel Paul T. O’Dowd, provided some detailed descriptions on this medal in an article in the Medal Collector in December, 1975(10). The medal was apparently authorized to be awarded to all U.S. military personnel who had served in the China theater during the War of Resistance.  Circular No. 166 of the U.S. Forces, China Theater, issued on September 29, 1945,  states the following:

            1. The Chinese Government has proffered the China War Memorial Badge and Ribbon to personnel of the Army of the United States who are eligible therefore under the conditions established.

                        a. China War Memorial Badge and Ribbon -- for service in China from 8 December 1941 to 2 September 1945.

            2. Acceptance of the badge and ribbon and the wearing of same by eligible personnel is authorized.

            3. All members of the Armed Forces of the United States and of nations allied or associated with the United States in China are eligible if --

                        a. they were assigned or stationed in China for not less than 30 days at any time during the period 8 December 1941 to 2 December 1945.  etc.

                        BY COMMAND OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL STRATEMEYER

                       Ray T. Maddocks, Maj. Gen., GSC, Chief of Staff

Note the actual creation of the Victory Commemoration Medal by the Chinese Government was fully one year after the U.S. military circular authorizing the acceptance and wear of the award.  While the Commemoration Medal was the last of the three awards to be implemented, it was apparently developed much earlier, as a drawing of it appeared in a publication by the Military Committee of the Nationalist Government in October, 1944,  long before the War ended(11).   This may explain why Circular No. 166 was issued earlier than the creation of the medal.  

In the confusion following the Japanese surrender and the ensuing struggle for control of China between the Nationalist and Communist forces, the Victory Commemoration Medal was not awarded to most of the eligible American service personnel after the War, despite the authorization to accept and wear the Medal.  In fact, it wasn’t until 30 years later before persistent U.S. veterans of the Fourteenth Air Force, which served in the China Theater,  “rediscovered” this Medal and the related authorization, prompting the Nationalist Government in Taiwan to award it to all qualified former U.S. service personnels(12).

Figure I Order of Victory, Obverse

The Victory Order, measuring 71x74mm,  is a very well designed and beautiful award, made of gilded pure silver and enamel (figure I).   The center medallion of the badge portrays Chiang Kai Shek, and is surrounded by a gilt rimmed red enamel band with 8 gold stars, superimposed on 8 groups of multiple red, blue, silver and gold rays.  According to official documents, the red color symbolizes victory, and the 8 stars and 8 groups of rays the 8 years of the War of Resistance.  This badge is suspended from a smaller medallion, measuring 21mm, with white and green wreath surrounding the Nationalist “Blue Sky White Sun” symbol.

Figure II Order of Victory, Reverse

The reverse of the order (figure II) shows a map of China in relief surrounded by a round pattern, Chinese characters indicating “In Commemoration of Victory in the 8-Year War of Resistance”, a mint mark at the top, and a stamped serial number at the bottom.

The original ribbon has the following stripes from left to right: 4mm white, 2mm blue, 2mm white, 17mm red, 2mm white, 2mm blue, and 4mm white.  Later issues have 4mm yellow stripes on both ends, instead of white ones.  The complete set of earlier issues include a ribbon bar, later issues include also a miniature medal.

The original case is a large brocade case with the simplified name of Victory Order stamped in gold on a vertical strip of red silk on the front cover.

In terms of order of precedence, the Victory Order is to be worn to the left of the Air Force Order of Renaissance and Honor (more often referred to as the Order of Rejuvenation in the West), and to the right of Order in Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Oath-taking of the National Revolutionary Army.  It is believed that a total of only 78 Order of Victory were awarded to American servicemen who distinguished themselves in this War(13).

Figure III Li Tsung Jen

Figure III shows General Li Tsung Jen, a well-known four-star general who was elected Vice President of the Republic of China in 1948, wearing the Order of Victory (second medal from the left.)

Figure IV Victory Merit Medal

The Victory Medal, measuring 53mm, is also made of gilded silver and enamel (figure IV).  The center medallion of the badge portrays Chiang Kai Shek, and is surrounded by a gilt rimmed red enamel band with 8 gilt stars, superimposed on eight 2-pointed, gold-rimmed, white enamel rays, separated by smaller red and blue enamel rays.   The center medallion and the surrounding band are exactly the same as that of the Order of Victory, but the base star is smaller and much less elaborate.  This badge is suspended from a smaller medallion, measuring 15mm, with the Nationalist “Blue Sky White Sun” symbol.  This suspension device is similar to that of the Order of Victory, minus the surrounding wreath.

The ribbon has the following stripes from left to right: 8mm red, 3mm white, 4mm light yellow, 3mm blue, 4mm light yellow, 3mm white, and 8mm red.  

Based on limited observations of actual samples and their numbers, it is believed that the Victory Medal was not awarded as frequently as the Order of Victory.

In terms of precedence, the Victory Medal is to be worn to the left of the Medal of the Spirit of Chu, and to the right of the Medal in Commemoration of the Sian Incident.

In a sense, the Victory Commemoration Medal is the most interesting of the three awards.  The medal was authorized for a large number of people, civilian and military, Chinese and foreign.  It was also awarded in two distinct periods, thirty years apart--first right after the War, and then, again, in the 1970’s, to veterans from the U.S. who were not given the medals when they were first issued.  Because of these reasons, there are, understandably, quite a few manufacturers and variants of the medal, the ribbon, and the packaging.  

Figure V Victory Commemorative Medals, Obverse

The obverse of the medal shows a depiction of the Marco Polo Bridge, signifying the “July 7th Incident” which started the War of Resistance against the Japanese, with fields, buildings and smoke stacks in the background, signifying peacetime pursuit of industry and agriculture.  Above the bridge is an oval portrait of Chiang Kai Shek, and the crossed flags of the Nationalist Republic and the Armed Forces.  The width of this medal range from under 35mm to over 37.5mm, the height range from 43mm to 45mm, and base material is either copper or brass from 2mm to 3.7mm thick.  The details are usually coarser in the earlier medals than in the later ones, the earlier medals also tend to have thicker rims, and the portrait in the later medals show a somewhat chubbier and fuller body version of Chiang Kai Shek.  Two different versions of the Medal are illustrated here for comparisons (figures V).

Figure VI Victory Commemorative Medals, Reverse

The reverse of the medal always have the medal name in Chinese on the top.  Besides the name, the earlier military versions usually only have a number in the bottom.  The civilian versions and the later issues tend to also have the name of the manufacturer beneath the number.  Again, two versions are illustrated here (figures VI).

The ribbon, ranging in width from 29mm(earlier versions) to 35 mm, has the following stripes from left to right: 3-4mm red, 1-2mm blue, 10-14mm orange/yellow, 1-2mm blue, 3-4mm red.  Like many other Chinese medals, the earlier versions have coarser materials.  Most ribbons come with a small “Blue Sky White Sun” device attached.  Some earlier versions also have the serial numbers on the back of the ribbon bars, as well as on the back of the medals themselves. 

There are at least three types of packaging.  Earlier civilian versions have fitted red cardboard boxes with the name of the medal in gold on the cover.  Earlier military versions have beige silk bags with the name of the medal and the number printed in black on the front, and the manufacturer’s name printed on the back.  At least some later versions simply come in a narrow plastic case, with the name of the medal in gold on the clear cover.

Some common manufacturers are: Guan Shing Enterprise Ltd., He Zhuo Wu Jin Co., Tung Guan Gung Yi She, Shau Nian She, etc.

The Victory Commemoration Medal is to be worn to the left of the Medal in Commemoration of the Sian Incident.

Figure VII Bei Tsung Hsi 

Figure VII shows Bei Tsung Hsi, a well-known Nationalist general who was one-time the Defense Minister of the Republic, wearing the Victory Commemoration Medal (first medal from the left, second row)(14.)  

There are also a number of unofficial, branch and local awards commemorating the Victory which fellow members may come across from time to time.  

Figure VIII P'u Money World War II Victory Medal

Mr. Cheoros and Mr. Power mentioned in 1959/60 in these columns the two so-called “P’u Money World War II Victory Medals,” one round, and one in the shape of a spade(15).  Both are designed like ancient Chinese coins, with the character Chiang on one side, and either the characters Victory or Allied Victory on the other.   My sample of the P’u Money Victory Medal is in the shape of a spade, with same characters as those shown in the rubbings of the article in 1960, but with somewhat different designs (figure VIII).  No official mention of these medals appears anywhere, and no Chinese military personnel has been pictured wearing them.  They also do not appear to have been designed for wear with a ribbon.  One can only conclude that these are unofficial issues which may have been given/sold to Chinese and foreigners as souvenirs in the aftermath of the War. 

Figure IX Local/Unit Victory Commemorative Medal

Another award, apparently a local/army unit creation, is a reasonably well-made eight-point bronze star with a green center medallion surrounded by a yellow and a dark blue rim.  Superimposed on the center medallion are three lines of Chinese characters, indicating “National Revolution”, “Victory in the War of Resistance”, and “Commemoration Medal."(figure IX).  The reverse has a mint marking and the serial number of the medal.  The ribbon has red/white/blue/white/red stripes, and a large bronze “V” device.  Again, no mention of this medal appears in any official regulations.

Copyright 1996 Orders and Medals Society of America.  All rights reserved. Reproduced by Permission.

Footnotes:

(1) For an introduction on WWII Victory medals (strictly speaking, medals commemorating the Victory over the Japanese in the Second World War) issued by the Communist Chinese see, for example, Paul L. T. Kua “Three Early Orders of the People’s Republic of China”, The Medal Collector, January-February, 1995, pp. 15-26.

 (2) For more details on the First Sino Japanese War of 1894-95 and subsequent conflicts between the two countries see, for example, John K. Fairbank, et. al., East Asia: The Modern Transformation, pp. 261, 382-384, 563-565, etc. 

 (3) See China Handbook 1937-45, Macmillan (1947), p. 301.

(4) The Marco Polo Bridge, an ancient, elaborately constructed stone bridge, was so named because it was described at length by Marco Polo, when he traveled to and throughout China in the Yuan Dynasty(1275-1295).  Marco Polo called this “a very handsome bridge of stone, perhaps unequalled by any other in the world.”   See, for example, The Travels of Marco Polo, Garden Publishing, 1930, pp. 177-8, Ch. 35 “Of the Interior of Cathay, the River named Pulisangan, and the Bridge over it.”

(5) Members interested in reading more about the various campaigns of the War of Resistance Against the Japanese, 1937-45 could consult, for instance, F.F. Liu, A Military History of Modern China, 1924-1949, Princeton University Press (1956), ch. 17, “The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945” pp. 197-225, or China Handbook 1937-45, Macmillan (1947), ch. IX, “Sino-Japanese Hostilities,” pp. 299-322.  A lot of the facts for this section are drawn from these sources.

(6) Members who frequents the cyberspace may be interested in visiting a number of Internet sites on the “Nanjing Massacre” and the Sino-Japanese War in general.  Simply search for “Nanjing Massacre” or “Sino-Japanese War” through common search tools.  There is, surprisingly, a wealth of information on this subject through a number of linked sites.  See, for example, the following: 

            http://www.cnd.org/NJMassacre,

            http://www.arts.cuhk.hk/NanjingMassacre/NM.html,

            http://www.cnd.org/NJMassacre/recent-news.html. 

(7) F.F Liu, A Military History of Modern China, 1924-1949, p.225.

(8) From Internet article titled “Basic Facts on the Nanjing Massacre and the Tokyo War Trial”.

(9) These are abbreviated names of the awards.  Official English names of the three awards are described below in quotation marks before the Chinese names in this and the next two paragraphs.

(10) See John E. Lelle, “China War Memorial Badge and Ribbon--The Lost Decoration of WWII,” The Medal Collector, December 1975, p. 5-6.

(11) See John E. Lelle, p.3.  

(12) See “Flying Tiger Veteran: Chinese Medal Long in Arriving,” The Medal Collector, December 1976, p.32, or “Fourteenth Air Force Gets Medal--30 years later,” The Medal Collector, June 1975, p35-6.

(13) See James R. Power, “The Chinese Victory Medal Mystery”, The Medal Collector, March 1960, p. 12.  Mr. Power apparently obtained from Chinese Government sources this number of awards made to American personnel.  Note his description of the Order, based only on a line drawing which was included in the article, are not entirely accurate.   The ribbon colors and the measurements are both incorrect. 

(14) This is an improper position for the Victory Commemoration medal, as all the three medals to the right in the second row should take precedence over it.  General Bai also has the Order of Victory, which he was pictured wearing in other occasions.  Note the two U.S. medals, the commander grade of the Legion of Merit (neck badge), and the Medal of Freedom (third from the left, first row).

(15) See the March/April, 1959 issue and the March, 1960 issue of The Medal Collector.

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