Li Hongzhang Visit to Germany Commemorative Medal

李鴻章訪德紀念章

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.

物件編號: A1464

年代: 公元 1896 年

材質:

尺寸: 33.2 x 33.2 mm

製造地: 漢堡造幣廠

來源: 慕尼黑錢幣畫廊 2024

這是一枚光緒22年(公元1896年),作為大清帝國最有權勢和主導國家藍圖的李鴻章受到慈禧太后委派,以欽差頭等出使大臣展開環球之旅,途中經過德國漢堡訪問其偶像前首相俾斯麥時,漢堡造幣廠為慶祝李鴻章的來訪而發行的銀質紀念章。

紀念章的正反兩面為珠圈環繞,正面是身穿龍袍的光緒皇帝正面肖像,肖像的左側是一條象徵中國的飛龍,右側是以漢字打印的「光緒」兩字。肖像的帽子上緣以德文打印「KWANG SÜ KAISER V. CHINA」(光緒中國皇帝)。

紀念章背面則是頭戴髮簪,臉部微微向右的慈禧太后正面肖像。肖像的左右兩側分別以漢字和德文標示「慈禧/ TSU HI」,肖像的上緣以德文標示「KAISERIN VON CHINA」(中國皇后)。

公元1896年的李鴻章環球之旅,主要是答謝歐洲國家在《馬關條約》簽訂的過程中,協助向日本施壓迫使其放棄對於遼東半島的索取。李鴻章的旅程始於3月赴聖彼得堡參加新任沙皇尼古拉二世的加冕大典,並且於6月搭乘火車前往第二站德國進行國是訪問。李鴻章先是在德國首都柏林接受德皇威廉二世的洗塵及校閱德國軍隊,並且還在醫生的建議下前往柏林工業大學為赴日談判期間,遭到日本刺客槍傷的臉部傷口做X光檢查,雖然在德國醫生建議下沒有進行手術,但李鴻章也成為第一位體驗X光的中國人。

結束柏林的參訪後,6月25日李鴻章前往德國重要的商港漢堡,會見其偶像前德國首相俾斯麥。俾斯麥也同樣期待跟有「東方俾斯麥」之稱的李鴻章見面,兩人在俾斯麥的福裏德裏斯魯莊園有愉快的會談,李鴻章搭乘火車離開漢堡之際,俾斯麥還親赴月台替他送行。李鴻章離開德國後,先後拜訪其他西歐國家和橫跨大西洋參訪美國。最終於9月底,經過日本橫濱重返國門。

類似/相同物件 請看:

PCGS 官網

https://www.pcgsasia.com/valueview/index?l=zh-CHT&cid=4211&specno=515435&c=CNY

ZENO.RU – Oriental Coins Database 網站

https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=346728

更多相關訊息請參考:

https://jeandigital.asia/article-data?id=11

https://jeandigital.asia/article-data?id=23

林國明 編,《中國近代機制金銀幣目錄》(上海:上海科學技術出版社,2021)

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