Item number: M543-6

Year: AD 1897-1911

Material: Silver, Enamel

Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmBH 2025

This specimen is a decoration configured in the form of a breast badge (fu baoxing) of the Order of the Double Dragon, yet designated under the nomenclature of a Merit Plaque (Gongpai). The Order of the Double Dragon was structurally divided into the Great Star (Da baoxing, corresponding to European breast stars) and the Lesser Star or Breast Badge (Fu baoxing, corresponding to European neck badges and ribbon decorations), whilst the Merit Plaque corresponded to European medals and decorations.

The breast badge is fashioned in the form of a five-petalled lotus flower. The interstices between the primary petals are set with five five-petalled blossoms rendered in blue enamel, evidently depicting lotus flowers in profile. The central disc bearing the primary device features an outer border chased with the design of two dragons contending for a pearl; the heads of two scaleless dragons face upwards towards a plain cabochon red coral situated between them. In this particular piece, the standard red coral prescribed by original regulation has been substituted with the two Chinese characters ‘Gongpai’ (Merit Plaque) executed in blue enamel. It was possibly a Merit Plaque (Gongpai) originally manufactured in the alternative physical form of the Order of the Double Dragon (Shuanglong Baoxing).

The overall contour of this insignia adheres to the Second Type of the Order of the Double Dragon, promulgated in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1897) as a revision of the First Type originally instituted in the 7th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1881). A memorial submitted to the throne on 13 March AD 1897 reveals two fundamental deficiencies in the earlier insignia: firstly, the disparate typologies failed to conform to the standard conception of a Western star decoration, having been produced in diverse rectangular, foliate lozenge, sunflower, and circular configurations; secondly, they proved unwieldy and inconvenient to wear due to their excessive weight. The two successive series exhibited little divergence in their hierarchical classes and institutional framework, differing essentially in the redesign of the physical insignia.

The genesis of honours and decorations in the Qing Dynasty followed the First Opium War, as Europeans began entering China in substantial numbers, rendering conventional foreign policy inadequate for contemporary geopolitical realities. Even following the establishment of the Zongli Yamen (Office for the General Management of Affairs of Several Countries) to oversee foreign relations, persistent diplomatic friction and cultural divergence endured. When confronted with numerous foreign nationals employed across the Qing Empire’s military industries, educational establishments, and economic enterprises, traditional Qing honours—such as the conferment of official hat buttons and peacock feathers (dingdai hualing) or imperial commendatory decrees—failed to satisfy Western sensibilities. Consequently, the Qing imperial honours system was conceived to align with Western phaleristic conventions.

As early as the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign (AD 1863), officials including Li Hongzhang, whilst formulating posthumous honours and pensions for foreign commanders who assisted imperial campaigns, recognised the necessity of introducing a Western-style honours system to adequately reward deserving foreign officers and enlisted men without perturbing the existing administrative hierarchy. Consequently, several high-ranking officials successively proposed commendation systems based on Gongpai (Merit Plaques) and Baoxing (Precious Stars). These initiatives were subsequently harmonised, with Gongpai corresponding to Western commemorative and service medals, and Baoxing corresponding to Western chivalric orders and breast stars, culminating in AD 1908 in a unified system designated as the Order of the Double Dragon.

In the 34th year of Guangxu (AD 1908), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs memorialised and obtained approval for extending the award of the Order of Double Dragon beyond foreigners to include Qing diplomatic officials and envoys sent abroad. The Ministry observed that in Western countries orders were primarily established to reward nationals, whereas the Qing system functioned in the opposite manner. At formal diplomatic occasions, foreign representatives customarily appeared in court dress adorned with their national orders, whereas Qing diplomats were often unable to display orders of their own state and could only wear those received from foreign governments, necessitating reform.

Because the issue period of this star falls at the end of the nineteenth century, a time of increasing diplomatic activity, the second issue of AD 1897 was produced, awarded, and preserved in considerable quantity, making it the most commonly encountered version of the Order of Double Dragon among modern collectors.

The two versions of the Order of the Double Dragon have no significant differences in terms of class and system. The following table shows the correspondence between the levels of the Order of the Double Dragon and the recipients of the awards according to the regulations of the Order in the 7th year of Guangxu (AD 1881):

物件編號: M543-6

年代: 公元 1897-1911 年

材質: 銀、珐瑯

來源: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmBH 2025

這是一枚外型為雙龍寶星勳章副寶星，卻以「功牌」為名的獎章。雙龍寶星勳章，分為大寶星(對應歐洲胸前星章)和副寶星(對應歐洲綬帶勳章)。功牌則對應歐洲獎章及飾章。

該副寶星呈五瓣蓮花瓣形。花瓣間隙填充五朵五瓣藍色琺瑯彩花，應為蓮花之側面。承載主圖的上蓋部分，外圈呈雙龍搶珠圖，為兩隻無鱗龍之龍首朝上，龍首間為一光面紅珊瑚。原章規制的紅珊瑚以藍色琺瑯的「功牌」二字取代。可能為原「功牌」獎章另行製作成雙龍寶星的外型。

此寶星輪廓為光緒23年（公元1897年）發行的第二版雙龍寶星，改版了光緒7年（公元1881年）發行的雙龍寶星。從光緒23年（公元1897年）3月13日的奏摺裡，可見當時寶星的兩個主要問題：第一為「版型」並為具備真正「寶星」的形式，因有長方形、菱花形、葵花行與圓形；第二則為佩戴不便，因為過於沈重。兩個版本的雙龍寶星在等級、制度基本上沒有太大的差異，只有寶星的樣式進行修改變動。

清朝勳章的誕生，是在第一次鴉片戰爭後，歐洲人開始湧入清朝，傳統的對外政策已無法符合當時的需求。即便設立專門處理對外事務的「總理各國事務衙門」，仍因為習俗禮儀等落差，造成各種摩擦與碰撞。在面對大量聘用於清朝的軍工、教育、經濟等行業的外國人，傳統對中國人的「頂戴花鈴」或者「傳旨嘉獎」等方式，無法讓外國人滿足。因此為了與西方制度接軌，於是創造了清朝勳章制度。

早在同治二年（公元1863年），李鴻章等官員於撫卹外國助戰將領時，便已注意到，應當引入外國獎勳制度，才能適當的酬謝外國有功官兵，而且並不會涉及既有制度。於是，數位官員先後提出「功牌」、「寶星」等獎勳制度，後經整合，以「功牌」對應西方獎章，以「寶星」對應西方勳章及星章。直到公元1908年整合為單一的「雙龍寶星」體系。

在光緒34年（公元1908年）4月經外務部奏准「雙龍寶星」今後的頒發不再僅限外國人，同時也頒發給清朝外務官員以及出洋各史。外務部認為西方各國設立的勳章，主要目的是頒發給本國人，然而清朝卻完全相反。在涉及外交正式場合時，外國人往往會穿著禮服，並佩戴自己獲得的所有勳章，然而清朝的外交官員，常無法配戴本國的勳章，只能配戴外國的勳章，因有此改革。

由於此寶星發行年間為19世紀末，清朝外交活動相較於過去又更加的頻繁。因此光緒23年（公元1897年）發行的第二版雙龍寶星，不論是在製作、頒發和存世的數量非常的多，也是現代收藏中最常見雙龍寶星的版本。

兩個版本的雙龍寶星在等級、制度基本上沒有太大的差異，下表為光緒7年（公元1881年）寶星章程等級對應頒發對象：