This site specializes in information on Chinese civilian & military orders, decorations, & medals from the Qing Dynasty, the Republic and the People's Republic periods.
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This site specializes in information on Chinese civilian & military orders, decorations, & medals from the Qing Dynasty, the Republic and the People's Republic periods. |
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Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Awards
Yellow is the Imperial color of the Qing Dynasty
The practice of distributing loots and booties as a reward for military services dated back to ancient history in China, much like in other civilizations. Inscriptions on bronze vessels from the Shang dynasty (16th to 11th century B.C.) described kings giving out gifts in various forms as rewards for services in military campaigns. The Han Dynasty Chronicle also recorded incidences during which monetary rewards (often in the form of gold) and honorary ranks were given out for meritorious military service. The Qing Dynasty officially replaced the Ming Dynasty in 1644, when the Manchurians entered Peking. By the time of its sixth ruler, emperor Dao Guang, whose reign went from 1821-1850, the Dynasty had started its gradual decline. Given the aggressive expansionist stance of many western powers, It seemed that a sino-foreign conflict was inevitable. The wars with the British and the French (Treaty of Nanking, 1842, Treaty of Tientsin, 1858), the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), the unrests of the Nien sects and the Moslems all worked to dissipate the energy and the prestige of the Empire.
Empress Dowager Cixi The second-to-last ruler, Emperor Guang Hsu, had a relatively long reign (1875-1908) and a genuine desire to reform the Dynasty. But he was controlled by the ultra-conservative Empress Dowager, Ci Xi. The xenophobic Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), quietly supported by the Empress Dowager, resulted in the humiliating occupation of Peking by forces from eight foreign countries. When the last Emperor, Fu Yi, ascended the throne as a child on 1908, the Empire was but a shadow of its former self. Like most Chinese dynasties before it, the Qing Dynasty had its own elaborate award system for its officials. They were rather different from the award systems typical in the western countries. While tangible representations of imperial favor and rewards for military and civilian achievements abound, very few wearable medals comparable to those common in the western world existed until late Qing dynasty. In fact, the earliest western-style medals awarded by Qing were given out to foreigners during the Taiping Rebellion. The first systematic Order was authorized by Guang Hsu, again mainly for foreigners in diplomatic service or who assisted the Empire in one way or another. Western style orders were extended to Chinese subjects only during the very end of the Empire. Qing imperial officials did wear various symbols of nobility, rank, imperial favors, and military and civilian achievements. These typically came in unique Chinese forms. To indicate his rank, an imperial official (commonly called a Mandarin) would wear a unique round colored stone at the top of his official headgear as well as an elaborately embroidered square piece of cloth/silk on the front and the back of his robe (commonly called Mandarin squares). Different birds represented on the square would indicate one of the nine civilian ranks, and different animals one of the nine military ranks. He might also wear a double-eyed or single eyed peacock feather or a blue plum on his headgear, if he had been awarded that for some military merits. One might be given the Chinese title of Ba-tu-lu (a warrior), or designated a Ying-yong (brave) for special military achievements. Some would also be given the special privilege of riding a horse inside the imperial palace, or wearing a yellow riding jacket (yellow being the imperial color), etc. There were some Chinese badges which borer resemblance to western orders and medals which were either worn or hung on walls/doors. The Chinese struck a variety of "badges" made of gold, silver, other metals and even ivory. Many of these were worn as proof of authority or a certain official position (an imperial guard, a special envoy, etc.), used more for identification and as a pass. Some were awards, and would typically have the characters "gong pai" (merit badge), "shang" (reward/award), "shang gong" (reward for merit), etc. embossed on them. The Taiping Rebellion, started in 1850 in the South, at one point in time threatened the very survival of the Dynasty. This Rebellion, led by Hung Sew-tsuan, who believed that he was the younger son of God and brother of Jesus Christ, quickly gathered strength in the southern provinces and moved northward. In an effort to defend against the rebels, the governor of Kiangsu province started to bring in foreign mercenaries. An American, Frederick Townsend Ward was selected to organize a foreign contingent which had mixed results in their fight against the rebels. In 1861, Ward, together with Frenchmen Henry Burgevine and captain Adrien Tardif de Mordrey, organized a Chinese force with westerners as officers. This contingent had a number of successful campaigns and was awarded the title Ever Victorious Army by the governor of Kiangsu. After Ward was killed in action in September 1862, the leadership went to another American, Charles George Gordon. The E.V.A. became a very strong force in the next couple years and contributed significantly to the ultimate defeat of the rebels. Similar efforts by the French resulted in the formation of the Ever Triumphant Army in Ningpo led by the Frenchman A.E. Le Brethan de Caligny, and the Ever Secure Army also in Ningpo led by the British Captain Roderick Dew. There were also a number of foreign units and officers who participated in fighting against the Taiping rebels. During the early 1860's and when the Taiping Rebellion was finally crushed in 1864, the Qing authorities were faced with the need to reward all the foreigners who assisted in suppressing the rebels. It was clear that traditional Chinese awards would not be appropriate for most, and, after consultations with foreign diplomatic and military personnel, it was decided that western style medals would be awarded. This marked the birth of western-style Chinese orders, decorations and medals. Partly to satisfy growing needs for western-style awards, and partly to standardize these awards, the Double Dragon Order was introduced. After a number of years of usage, the Type II Double Dragon was implemented. Towards the end of the Empire, the Order of the Colored Dragon was approved. The key Qing award types are discussed briefly in the following reference pages.
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