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Li Hongzhang Visit to Germany Commemorative Medal
李鴻章訪德紀念章
Li Hongzhang(AD 1823-1901) Resource: Getarchive
Item number: A1464
Year: AD 1896
Material: Silver
Size: 33.2 x 33.2 mm
Manufactured by: Hamburg Mint
Provenance: Münzgalerie München 2024
This is a silver commemorative medal issued in Guangxu 22 (AD 1896), during the late Qing Empire, to honour Li Hongzhang’s visit to Hamburg, Germany. As the most influential statesman and chief architect of national policies at the time, Li Hongzhang was commissioned by Empress Dowager Cixi as an Imperial Envoy Plenipotentiary to embark on a global diplomatic tour. During his visit to Hamburg, where he met his idol, former Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the Hamburg Mint produced this medal to celebrate his arrival.
The obverse of the commemorative medal features a beaded rim encircling the design. At the centre is a frontal portrait of Emperor Guangxu dressed in a dragon robe. To the left of the portrait is a flying dragon, symbolising China, while the right side bears the Chinese characters “光緒” (Guangxu). Above the emperor’s hat, the German inscription “KWANG SÜ KAISER V. CHINA” (Guangxu, Emperor of China) is prominently displayed.
The reverse of the commemorative medal features a front-facing portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi, her face slightly turned to the right and adorned with a hairpin. On either side of the portrait, the inscriptions appear in Chinese characters and German, respectively: “慈禧” (Cixi) and “TSU HI.” Above the portrait, the German text “KAISERIN VON CHINA” (Empress of China) is prominently inscribed.
In AD 1896, Li Hongzhang embarked on a global diplomatic tour, primarily to express gratitude to European nations for their assistance in pressuring Japan to relinquish its claim to the Liaodong Peninsula during the negotiations of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Li’s journey began in March when he travelled to St. Petersburg to attend the coronation of the newly appointed Tsar Nicholas II. In June, he boarded a train to Germany for his second stop, conducting a state visit.
In Berlin, Li Hongzhang was received by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who hosted a formal reception and a military review in his honour. Following the visit, at the recommendation of his physician, Li travelled to the Berlin Polytechnic University for an X-ray examination of a facial wound sustained during an assassination attempt by a Japanese assailant during the negotiations with Japan. While German doctors advised against surgery, Li became the first Chinese individual to experience the use of X-ray technology.
After concluding his visit to Berlin, on June 25, Li Hongzhang travelled to Hamburg, one of Germany’s most important commercial ports, to meet his idol, former German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck, equally eager to meet Li, who was often referred to as the “Bismarck of the East,” hosted Li for a pleasant discussion at his Friedrichsruh Manor. As Li prepared to depart Hamburg by train, Bismarck personally accompanied him to the platform to bid him farewell.
After leaving Germany, Li continued his journey, visiting other Western European countries before crossing the Atlantic to visit the United States. Finally, in late September, he returned to China via Yokohama, Japan.