- Time Period: Pre-WW1 Period
- Year of Institution: 1862
- Country: China
The Order Of The Imperial Dragon, also known as the Bao Xing Merit Medal is a Chinese military award given to British and French government officials and civilians. The medal was authorized by Imperial Decree in 1862, designed in the Western Style and awarded to those who contributed to the defeat of the Taiping Rebellion between 1850 to 1864.
The Bao Xing Merit Medal was influential in the design and creation of the later instituted Order of the Double Dragon in 1882.
The Bao Xing Merit Medal Design
The medal is struck in 24ct gold and it has a unique high handcrafted quality with exquisite attention to detail. All figures and characters are hand-carved from a single gold disc.
For the First Class, the obverse depicts two dragons pursuing a central red cabochon. The outer border is a stylized “thunder scroll” design. The reverse features the Chinese characters for Da Qing Yu Xi (Great Qing Imperially Awarded First Class Award).
The medal measures 381. mm (w) by 54 mm (including the suspension) and weights 46.6 grams. It was awarded with a tassel consisting of a green braided knot (Yun Tou or Cloud Head knot) with parallel blue and red tassels, upper suspension composed of a secondary braided blue Yun Tou.
