This is a silver “Constitution Commemorative Medal” minted in the 12th year of the Republic of China (AD 1923) to commemorate the promulgation of the first constitution of the Republic of China, the “Double Ten Constitution,” during the presidency of the Zhili Clique warlord Cao Kun, who was elected amidst allegations of bribery.
The medal was minted by the Tianjin Mint, and its most notable feature is the lifelike portrayal of the individuals, particularly the striking eyes. On the obverse side is a half-length portrait of Cao Kun, wearing a suit and adorned with order. Additionally, another version in military uniform was also produced, both intended as gifts for members of the two houses of parliament. On the reverse side are the crossed “Eighteen Stars” army flag and the “Five-Coloured Flag” national flag, with the word “Commemoration” in the centre and the inscription “In Commemoration of the Establishment of the Constitution” along the upper edge.
This commentative medal is embedded in a silver dish crafted by the renowned Shanghai silversmith Zee Sung, with the manufacturing period estimated to fall roughly between AD 1927 and AD 1932.
Cao Kun hailed from a humble background, having worked as a cloth merchant before joining the military. However, due to his upright character and likability among his superiors, he gradually rose from being a grassroots soldier to become a prominent general among the warlords of the Beiyang Army.
In the 11th year of the Republic (AD 1922), following the ousting of the incumbent President Hsu Shih-chang by the Zhili warlords, led by Cao Kun, a telegraph was sent nationwide by the Zhili warlords to discuss the election of a new president. On October 6th of the following year, in the presidential election where both Cao Kun and Sun Yat-sen were candidates, the new parliament overwhelmingly voted with 480 votes in favour of electing Cao Kun as the new President of the Republic of China.
However, there have been posthumous rumours alleging that Cao Kun secured his presidency through bribery, thus leaving behind the epithet of “Cao Kun’s bribery.” In AD 2017, Cao Kun’s granddaughter, Cao Jifang, residing in the United States, defended her grandfather by arguing that the so-called “bribery” was the payment of salaries owed to the legislators, and she questioned the partiality of previous interpretations, even filing lawsuits against Academia Historica and relevant organisations across the ocean.
Behind the shadow of the bribery accusations, Cao Kun, who himself was illiterate, placed significant emphasis on education. He assisted in establishing universitiy and was renowned for his generosity towards professors.
