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Mengjiang United Autonomous Government
National Foundation Merit Medal
(Full Size)
蒙疆聯合自治政府肇建功勞章
(官方版)
Item number: M124
Year: AD 1939
Material: Cupronickel
Size: 29.6 x 29.6 x 1.5 mm
Weight: 14.4 g
Provenance: eMedals 2022
This circular medal made of cupronickel is a commemorative medal established in September 1st, AD 1939 by the Mongol United Autonomous Government, South Chahar Autonomous Government, and North Shanxi Autonomous Government under Japanese patronage. This was established following the “Fourth Mongolian Assembly” and commemorates the founding of the “Mengjiang United Autonomous Government.”
The obverse side depicts a shepherd with a whip and a flock of sheep, symbolizing the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian people. Above the sheep, the Mongolian and Chinese scripts in gold plating reads “Meritorious Service,” while the outer circle features faint depictions of flying dragons and auspicious cloud motifs. On the reverse side, both Mongolian and Chinese scripts are inscribed with the same content, corresponding to “The 734th Year of the Era of Genghis Khan, September 1st, AD 1939,” along with the medal’s title “Foundation Merit Medal.”
The clasp above the medal is connected to the vanished ring suspension and ribbon. The ribbon is designed to mimic the colors of the Autonomous Government’s flag, using red in the center to represent the Japanese Yamato people. On either side, there is symmetry representing the white of the Hui ethnic group, the blue of the Mongolian ethnic group, and the yellow of the Han ethnic group.
The Xinhai Revolution in AD 1911 led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, causing upheaval in the Mongolian regions at that time. Divided by the Gobi Desert, the northern part known as Khalkha Mongolia (Outer Mongolia) gained independence with Russian protection, while the southern regions inhabited by the Khorchin and Chahar peoples (Inner Mongolia) became part of different provinces within the territory of the Republic of China under the sinicization policies since the late Qing period. In the 1930s, Japan, using Manchukuo as a base to enter China, became an external force relied upon by Mongolian nationalists aspiring to establish a unified Mongolian state. Among them, Prince De, a noble claiming descent from Genghis Khan and known as the 30th-generation descendant, was one of the most active proponents.
After the establishment of the Mengjiang United Autonomous Government in AD 1939, it was reorganized two years later into the “Mongolian Autonomous Federation,” nominally under the jurisdiction of the Nanjing Reorganized National Government led by Wang Jingwei. In AD 1945, with Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Autonomous Federation declared dissolution. Subsequently, Prince De continued advocating for the rights of the Mongolian people. In December AD 1949, facing the unstoppable advance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Prince De crossed the border into Outer Mongolia seeking political asylum. However, the communist-led Outer Mongolia, now under a Soviet-style socialist regime, handed Prince De over to the CCP as a war criminal. He was detained without a formal trial for 13 years until he was granted amnesty in AD 1963. In his later years, Prince De worked as a cultural and historical researcher in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, completing several works and personal memoirs. He passed away in AD 1966 at the age of 64 in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia.