Item number: M515

Year: AD 1920

Material: Copper

Size: 40.1 x 34.1 x 1.9 mm

Weight: 14.85 g

Provenance: Private Collector, Singapore, 2026

This is a copper commemorative medal used to raise funds for the North China Famine Relief, likely issued by the North China International Society of Famine Relief of Tientsin.

The medallion body is circular. At the centre of the obverse, the Chinese characters “救一命” (“To Save a Life”) are inscribed vertically in regular script. Separated by a thin ring, the upper outer band displays the inscription “華北義賑” (“North China Famine Relief”) reading from right to left; the lower band reads “民國九年” (“Ninth Year of the Republic”), corresponding to AD 1920. On the left and right ends, “拾圓” (“Ten Yuan”) is inscribed horizontally from right to left, with each text segment delimited by a five-pointed star. The edge features a raised rim.

On the reverse, the English text “$10 / TO SAVE / ONE / LIFE” is arranged horizontally at the centre. Separated by a thin ring, the left and right bands display “NORTH / CHINA / FREE / RELIEF”; at the topmost end is the year date “1920”. The edge features a raised rim. Above the medallion, a piece of copper wire is bent into a hollow loop to facilitate hanging, though whether this was attached at the time of issue remains subject to further research.

Taking Huixian County in Henan Province as an example, sorghum—the cheapest coarse grain—rose to 50 cash per catty during the disaster, double its usual price. At that time, ten silver yuan could be exchanged for over 1,300 cash, whereas in Jingxian County in Chihli Province (also within the disaster zone), a middle-class or wealthy household required less than 260 cash per person per day under normal circumstances. Based on this, ten yuan was indeed more than sufficient to save a single life.

In AD 1920 (the ninth year of the Republic), the five northern provinces of China suffered a major catastrophic drought. The disaster spread rapidly to regions including Chihli, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi, leaving tens of millions of victims facing a severe grain shortage. As the drought continued to worsen, refugees fleeing the famine covered the countryside, and tragic scenes of parents selling their children or people consuming tree bark and grass roots emerged endlessly. The Beiyang government at the time, constrained by warlord civil wars and rampant factionalism, possessed limited financial and administrative capacity, rendering state-administered relief alone insufficient to cope with the crisis. Against this backdrop, civil society and foreign residents in China were extensively mobilised, launching a large-scale joint Sino-foreign relief effort.

During the initial phase of the relief campaign, various charitable groups and organisations were established in succession, giving rise to a fragmented situation with multiple authorities and a lack of unified coordination. As a transport and economic hub in North China, Tientsin saw local Chinese and foreign residents organise the North China International Society of Famine Relief of Tientsin, making it one of the few relief organisations named specifically after “North China”. Simultaneously, fourteen Chinese charitable groups initiated by prominent politicians, gentry, and merchants—including Liang Shiyi, Xiong Xiling, and Wang Daxie—formed the North China Relief Society in Beijing. To avoid the duplication of resources and uneven distribution of aid, leaders such as Liang Shiyi subsequently invited the Diplomatic Corps in Beijing and relief representatives from various nations, including the United States, Britain, France, Italy, and Japan, to engage in joint consultations.

In the autumn of AD 1920, Chinese and foreign parties officially formed the Beijing United International Famine Relief Committee in Beijing. The committee’s executive board comprised eight Chinese and eight foreign representatives who jointly managed and supervised the expenditure of relief funds. By securing loans backed by maritime customs surtaxes, launching global fundraising drives, selling charitable merchandise, and coordinating free grain transport on state-owned railways, the committee raised immense sums of money and material supplies; between AD 1921 and AD 1922 alone, the United States donated more than one million US dollars in cash and supplies valued at approximately 2.4 million US dollars. In terms of relief strategy, the committee implemented work-relief programmes, established soup kitchens and schools for refugees, procured grain at fair prices, and instituted health and epidemic prevention measures, thereby saving the lives of millions of famine victims during the severe drought of AD 1920 to AD 1921.

As the drought gradually subsided during the summer and autumn of AD 1921, Chinese and foreign relief leaders came to recognise the limitations of temporary organisations when responding to sudden disasters, agreeing on the necessity of establishing a permanent institution to preserve relief experience and promote long-term disaster prevention efforts. In September AD 1921, on the initiative of the Beijing United International Famine Relief Committee, relief representatives from various regions convened in Beijing and resolved to unite eight regional relief organisations, including the North China International Society of Famine Relief of Tientsin, the Shanghai International Famine Relief Committee, the Henan International Famine Relief Committee, and the Shanxi International Famine Relief Committee. In November of the same year, the China International Famine Relief Commission was formally established, headquartered in Beijing.

The China International Famine Relief Commission inherited the networks and experience of prior Sino-foreign cooperation, shifting its operational focus from simple emergency grain provision to long-term, scientific disaster prevention. The commission established specialised committees dedicated to water conservancy, afforestation, resettlement, and economic credit cooperatives, actively constructing water conservancy works, sinking wells, building highways, and promoting agricultural credit cooperatives across North China and rural areas. This institution remained continuously active in disaster relief and rural reconstruction in China throughout the AD 1920s and 1930s.

物件編號: M515

年代: 公元 1920 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 40.1 x 34.1 x 1.9 mm

重量: 14.85 g

來源: 新加坡私人收藏 2026

這是一枚用於為華北義賑募款的紀念銅章，可能是由天津華北華洋義賑會發行。

章體呈圓形。正面中央豎列楷體漢字「救一命」。以細環相隔，外側上方，自右環列「華北義賑」；下方環列「民國九年」，即公元1920年。左右兩端自右橫列「拾圓」，字段間各以五角星作隔。章緣有邊環。

背面中央橫列英文「$10 / TO SAVE / ONE / LIFE」，即「十圓救人一命」。以細環相隔，左右環列「NORTH / CHINA / FREE / RELIEF」；最上端「1920」紀年。章緣有邊環。章體上方以銅絲折成空心形狀，便於懸掛，是否為此章發行時所附則待考。

以河南輝縣為例，最為廉價的粗糧高梁於災時漲至每斤50文，是平時的兩倍。十銀圓於當時可兌1,300文以上，而同屬災區的直隸景縣，其中產上流之家在平時每人每日也僅需不到260文。依此十圓確實不只救人一命了。

民國九年（1920年）華北五省遭遇特大旱災，災情迅速蔓延至直隸、山東、河南、山西及陝西等地，數千萬災民面臨絕糧危機。隨著旱情持續惡化，逃荒難民遍野，賣兒育女與食用樹皮草根等慘狀層出不窮。當時的北洋政府宥於軍閥內戰、派系林立，財力與調度能力有限，僅靠官府辦賑已無法應對。在此背景下，民間力量與駐華外僑紛紛動員，開啟了大規模的中外聯合賑災行動。

在賑災初期，各界慈善團體與機構相繼成立，呈現政出多門且缺乏統一調度的局面。天津身為華北的交通與經濟樞紐，當地的中外人士組織了天津華北華洋義賑會（North China International Society of Famine Relief of Tientsin），是救災組織中少數以「華北」為名者。與此同時，由梁士詒、熊希齡、汪大燮等政要紳商發起的十四個中國慈善團體在北京組成華北救災總會。為避免資源重複與救濟偏枯，梁士詒等領袖隨後邀請駐京公使團及美、英、法、意、日等各國賑災代表共同協商。

公元1920年秋，中外各方在北京正式聯合成立了國際統一救災總會（Beijing United International Famine Relief Committee）。該總會由中外代表各八人組成行政委員會，共同掌管與監督賑款的使用。總會通過爭取海關附加稅借款、發動全球募捐、發售慈善商品以及協調國有鐵路免費運糧等方式，籌集了鉅額資金與物資，美國於公元1921年至1922年間，便捐助了現金100餘萬美元、物資估值約240萬美元。在救濟策略上，總會推行以工代賑、設立粥廠與災民學校、採購平價糧食及實施衛生防疫等措施，在公元1920至1921年的大旱中拯救了數百萬災民的生命。

隨著公元1921年夏秋之際旱災逐漸平息，中外辦賑領袖深刻體會到臨時組織在面對突發災害時的局限，認為有必要建立一個永久性的機構，以保存賑災經驗並推動長期的防災事業。公元1921年9月，在國際統一救災總會的倡議下，各地賑災代表在北京開會，決定將天津華北華洋義賑會、上海華洋義賑會、河南華洋義賑會、山西華洋義賑會等八個區域性賑災團體聯合起來。同年11月，中國華洋義賑救災總會（China International Famine Relief Commission）正式成立，總部設於北京。

中國華洋義賑救災總會繼承了此前華洋合作的網絡與經驗，將工作重心從單純的緊急救糧轉向長期科學防災。總會設有水利、造林、移民及經濟信用合作等專門委員會，積極在華北及農村地區興修水利、開鑿井泉、修築公路並推廣農業信用合作社。這一機構在整個公元1920至1930年代持續活躍於中國的災害救濟與農村建設中。