This is a silver commemorative medal issued between the 4th and 5th years of the Republic of China (AD 1915 to AD 1916) during the brief period when Yuan Shikai, then the powerful leader of the Beiyang Government, declared himself Emperor of the Empire of China under the influence of his son and close associates. The medals were produced by the Tianjin Mint, with only a few hundred pieces minted.
The obverse of the medal features a front-facing portrait of Yuan Shikai, dressed in a grand marshal’s ceremonial uniform and tall plumed hat. The subject’s eyes are vividly expressive, a hallmark of the skilled craftsmanship of Luigi Giorgi, an Italian engraver who had been serving at the Tianjin Mint since the late Qing dynasty. A rare variant of the medal includes Giorgi’s signature, “L. GIORGI,” engraved on the right side.
The reverse of the medal features a Western-style flying dragon motif. According to the recollections of the mint director, Li Boqi, this design was assigned to Tang, a disciple of Luigi Giorgi, who closely followed Giorgi’s style in sculpting the dragon steel die. The dragon used by Yuan Shikai during his reign combined the five-clawed dragon, symbolising Chinese imperial power, with Western-style wings, reflecting the increased technological and cultural exchange between East and West since the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic era—a nascent form of globalisation. The legends along the upper and lower edges of the dragon image denote the national title and era name adopted by Yuan Shikai during his brief reign, namely “Empire of China” and “Hongxian Era.”
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.
In the summer of the 4th year of the Republic of China (AD 1915), an advocacy group led by Yang Du, urged Yuan Shikai, the head of the Beiyang Government, to adopt a constitutional monarchy to end the turmoil brought about by the republican system. Yuan Shikai’s eldest son, Yuan Keding, even went so far as to forge newspapers purporting to show foreign powers’ support for his father’s ascension to the throne. On December 12 of that year, Yuan Shikai officially proclaimed himself Emperor under the era name Hongxian in Beijing, changing the country’s name to the Empire of China.
However, Yuan failed to secure the backing of foreign powers and the southern warlords. Additionally, key Beiyang generals, including Duan Qirui, expressed opposition to his enthronement. On March 22 of the following year, Yuan Shikai was forced to abandon the imperial title and restore the republic. He died shortly thereafter on June 6, due to uraemia, having reigned as emperor for a mere 102 days.
