Twelve Symbols national emblem

Twelve Symbols national emblem
Details
Armiger Empire of China (1915–16)
Republic of China (1913-1928)
Adopted February 1913
Crest sun, moon
Escutcheon axe
Supporters dragon, phoenix
Use 1913-1928
Commander-in-Chief Flag of the Republic of China, 1912-1928

The Twelve Symbols national emblem (Chinese: 十二章國徽; pinyin: Shí'èr zhāng Guóhuī) was the state emblem of the Empire of China (1915–16) and the Republic of China from 1913-1928. It is based on the ancient Chinese symbols of the Twelve Ornaments.

History

The Empire of China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty did not have an official state emblem, but the flag featured the azure dragon on a plain yellow field with a red sun of the three-legged crow in the upper left corner. It became the first national flag of China and is usually referred to as the "Yellow Dragon Flag" (simplified Chinese: 黄龙旗; traditional Chinese: 黃龍旗; pinyin: huáng lóng qí).

Following the end of Manchu rule, new national symbols were deemed necessary by the leaders to represent the changed circumstances. The renowned writers Lu Xun, Qian Daosun, and Xu Shoushang from the Ministry of Education were tasked with designing a new national emblem. It was presented on August 28, 1912 and was adopted as national emblem in February 1913. President-Emperor Yuan Shikai continued its use during his short imperial reign from 1915 to 1916.

Coins issued during this time feature the emblem.[1][2] A variation of the emblem was shown on orders and illustrations.[3]

The Northern Expedition led by General Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang party led to the overthrow of the fractious but legitimate Beiyang government in 1928. This ushered in a one-party state under the Kuomintang known as the Nanjing decade. The state emblem was therefore replaced with the Kuomintang party symbol Blue Sky with a White Sun.

Design

The emblem is based on the ancient symbols of the Twelve Ornaments (十二章).[4]

These are first mentioned as already ancient in the Book of Documents by Emperor Shun, who was one of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Oral tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 and 2184 BCE. [5] According to the book, the emperor wished for the symbols to be used on official robes of the state.

The symbols were considered most auspicious and therefore as a set were reserved only for the emperor to be shown on his ceremonial robes.[6]

The national emblem arranges these symbols in such a way to reflect the order of achievement in western heraldry.

Symbols

The dragon and phoenix represent the natural world. In yin and yang terminology, a dragon is male yang and the phoenix a female yin. Therefore, the emperor was often identified as the dragon, while the empress was the phoenix. The inclusion of the phoenix into the national symbol, opposite but equal to the dragon, can be seen as a symbol of women being equal to men, and a visual and poignant representation of women's rights in the new China.

The mountains represent earth, the cups metal, the pondweed water, the rice grains wood, and fire, which are all representations of wu xing.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://coin007.com/bbs/read.php?tid=34187
  2. ↑ http://home.netvigator.com/~ykleungn/phoenix.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.guokr.com/blog/151573/?page=2
  4. ↑ Description of proposed national emblem to the state council - Lu Xun, February 1913
  5. ↑ C.A.S, Williams (September 2001). Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs (4th ed.). Tuttle Publishing. p. 386. ISBN 0-8048-3704-X.
  6. ↑ C.A.S, Williams (September 2001). Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs (4th ed.). Tuttle Publishing. p. 387. ISBN 0-8048-3704-X.
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