Item number: M239

Year: AD 1848

Material: Pewter

Size: 42.4 x 42.4 mm

Weight: 60.0 g (with box)

Provenance: Künker 2022

This is a pewter commemorative medal from AD 1848, celebrating the historic voyage of the Chinese three-masted junk ship “Keying.” The Keying was the first Chinese vessel to sail from Guangdong, crossing the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, ultimately arriving in New York and London.

On the obverse of the medal, a silhouette of the “Keying” junk can be seen sailing on the waves, displaying its stern and starboard side. The rudder and decorative phoenix at the stern are clearly visible. The sails are shown unfurled, with the rightmost mast flying a British flag. Below the waves, in a recessed groove, the name of the British engraver, Thomas Halliday, is inscribed on the left (“HALLIDAY”), and the abbreviation for the manufacturing location, Birmingham (“BIRM:”), is on the right. The lower part of the medal is inscribed with “THE CHINESE JUNK ‘KEYING’.”

The reverse side of the medal features sixteen lines of English text, providing detailed specifications and voyage information for the “Keying” junk, as follows:

“ THE FIRST JUNK / THAT EVER ROUNDED / THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, OR / APPEARED IN BRITISH WATERS / HER DIMENSIONS ARE / LENGTH, 160FT, DEPTH OF HOLD, 12FT, / BURDEN, 800 TONS, CHINESE MEASUREMENT / RUDDER, 7 1/2 TONS, MAINSAIL, 9 TONS, / MAINMAST, 85FT LONG FROM DECK / THE SHIP IS BUILT OF TEAK WOOD / SHE SAILED FROM HONG KONG 6TH / DECEMBER 1846, ARRIVED IN / ENGLAND 27TH MARCH 1848 / 477 DAYS FROM CANTON / ‘CAPTAIN KELLETT’ / COMMANDER ”

The “Keying,” named after the Viceroy of Liangguang, Keying, was a Chinese junk constructed from teak. Originally used for the tea trade between Guangzhou and Southeast Asia. According to the laws of the Qing government at that time, foreigners were not allowed to purchase Chinese ships. But this ship was secretly sold to an Englishman in AD 1846. Commanded by British Captain Charles Alfred Kellett, it was crewed by 30 sailors from Guangdong and 12 English sailors, along with a Chinese individual claiming to be a fourth-rank official named “Hesing.”

In December 6, AD 1846, the “Keying” officially set sail from Hong Kong. It reached the Cape of Good Hope in March AD 1847. Due to contractual disputes with the Guangdong sailors, the decision was made to head to New York first, allowing the sailors to disembark. After staying in New York for several months, “Hesing” and the remaining crew continued their journey to England. On March 28, AD 1848, the “Keying” successfully arrived in London after overcoming a storm, causing a sensation across the country.

Upon its arrival, the “Keying” received visits from Queen Victoria and other members of the royal family. The ship was opened to the public, and visitors were charged an entry fee, with “Hesing,” who claimed to be a Chinese official, becoming a popular attraction. To celebrate the “Keying’s” arrival, various commemorative medals were produced in England, featuring the silhouette of the junk on the front and a description of the vessel on the back.

After the initial excitement waned, the “Keying” was towed to the coast of Cheshire, England, where it was left idle. Around AD 1855, the ship met its end when it was dismantled under the pretext of research. Today, a large-scale model of the “Keying” is preserved in Hong Kong.

物件編號: M239

年代: 公元 1848 年

材質: 白鑞

尺寸: 42.4 x 42.4 mm

重量: 60.0 g (含盒)

來源: 昆克 2022

這是一枚公元1848年，慶祝歷史上首艘從廣東出發，橫渡太平洋、印度洋和大西洋，最終抵達紐約和倫敦的中國三桅戎克船「耆英號」白鑞紀念章。

獎章正面是一艘航行於浪花上，擺出船尾和右舷的「耆英號」剪影，並能清楚看到船尾的舵和展翅鳳凰裝飾。船帆呈現揚帆狀態，最右側的桅桿懸掛一面英國國旗。波浪下緣凹槽處，左側鐫刻英籍雕刻家湯瑪士·哈利戴名字「HALLIDAY」，右側則是製造地：伯明翰的簡寫「BIRM:」。獎章下半部則標示「THE CHINESE JUNK “KEYING”.」(中國戎克船耆英) 。

獎章背面以十六行英文，仔細描述「耆英號」諸元和航程細節，內容如下：

「第一艘繞過好望角或出現在英國水域的中國戎克船。她的尺寸為：長度160英呎，艙深12英呎，載重800中國噸，舵重7.5噸，主帆重9噸，主桅杆從甲板到頂長85英呎。該船由柚木建造，於1846年12月6日從香港起航，於1848年3月27日抵達英國。從廣州出發歷時477天，由凱勒特船長指揮。」

「耆英號」以兩廣總督耆英作為命名的柚木造中式戎克船，原先是往來廣州和南洋的茶葉貿易商船。根據當時清政府的法令，外國人不得購買中國船隻。但公元1846年，這艘船被秘密賣給英國人，交由英國船長查爾斯·阿爾佛雷德·凱勒特指揮，由30名廣東籍和12名英籍水手操作，同時有一名自稱四品官員的中國人「希生」同行。

公元1846年12月6日，耆英號從香港正式啟程。於公元1847年3月抵達好望角，後續因為廣東水手的合同爭議，決定先抵達紐約讓他們先行離船。耆英號在紐約停泊數月後，希生在內的成員繼續往英國前進。公元1848年3月28日，耆英號克服暴風雨成功抵達倫敦，頓時造成英國全國的轟動。耆英號到達英國後，接待維多利亞女王在內的王室成員，並且向參觀者收取門票，自稱為中國官員的希生也成為熱門的焦點。為慶祝耆英號的抵達，英國人還製造多種外觀大同小異的紀念章，正面是戎克船的剪影，背面則是船隻的文字介紹。

後續流行消退後，耆英號被拖移至英國柴郡的海岸閒置。公元1855年左右，船隻以研究為藉口遭到拆解的命運。目前在香港有保留一艘大比例的耆英號模型。