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Eight-Nation Alliance
German China Campaign Medal 1900-1901
(Full Size, With Liang Hsiang Hsien Clasp)
八國聯軍
中國紀念獎章 1900-1901
(官方版, 附良鄉縣銘牌)
Item number: M204
Year: AD 1901
Material: Bronze
Size: 35.4 x 32.6 x 2.1 mm
Weight: 65.2 g
Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022
This is a German China Campaign Medal made of bronze, with the ribbon bearing clasp for Liang Hsiang Hsien. The medal was instituted in AD 1901 by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to honour the German troops who served in China during the Boxer Rebellion.
The medal is circular in shape with a pointed top, and is perforated to accommodate a small, elongated ring through which a circular support ring is suspended. The obverse of the medal features a crowned eagle in flight, facing right, clutching a dragon in its talons, symbolising the German Empire’s part in the allied conquest of China, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The reverse bears the letter “W” topped with a German crown, similarly encircled by a laurel wreath. The bronze medal bears the inscription in German, “DEN SIEGREICHEN STREITERN 1900 CHINA 1901”, honouring the victorious warriors in China.
The ribbon of the medal features a central, thick yellow stripe, flanked on both sides by white, with black and red thin stripes from the outside inwards. The ribbon is adorned with Liang Hsiang Hsien clasp, representing a theatre of war in which the recipient participated.
The German China Campaign Medal was established on May 10, AD 1901, by Emperor Wilhelm II, with the bronze medal awarded to combatants and the steel medal to non-combatants. The bronze medal was awarded to all participants in military events in East Asia from May 30, AD 1900, to June 29, AD 1901, against the Boxer movement, and to those who cared for the sick and injured in the war zone. The steel medal was awarded to individuals involved in the preparation and deployment of the German armed forces, and to crew members of German shipping companies transporting troops and war supplies from and to East Asia.
The number of Bronze medals issued is around 30,000.
The number of Steel medals issued is around 18,000.
The design of the German China Campaign Medal was conceived by Kaiser Wilhelm II himself, but the execution was carried out by Professor Walter Schott, a sculptor from Berlin. The embossing services were provided by the Mayer & Wilhelm company in Stuttgart.
The German China Campaign Medal is accompanied by fourteen clasps totally, each representing significant locations of military engagements during the period of the Eight-Nation Alliance:
At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, disturbances instigated by the Boxers in Shandong directly impacted German activities and interests there, particularly those of the Shandong Railway Company.
Between AD 1899 and AD 1900, the situation in Shandong was turbulent, construction had to be suspended, and foreigners felt extremely threatened. Despite government forces combating the Boxers, foreigners remained distrustful of local government assurances. This led to a series of meetings held by foreign diplomats in Beijing, requesting military support from their governments.
On May 31, AD 1900, Beijing grudgingly permitted each embassy to summon no more than 30 soldiers, although most foreign military contingents exceeded this number. The German and Austro-Hungarian forces entered Beijing on June 3, being among the last to arrive.
The death of Baron Clemens von Ketteler became the catalyst for worsening conditions. On July 2, AD 1900, news of Ketteler’s death reached the German Emperor, prompting him to order the assembly of a 7,000-man expeditionary force to undertake retaliatory action against China.
The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, AD 1901, marking China’s defeat. In the negotiations, Germany secured substantial benefits including a large indemnity in silver, an expansion of embassy grounds, and an increase in troop presence.