Item number: M245

Year: AD 1897-1909

Material: Silver, Enamel

Size: 89.4 x 48.1 x 9.4 mm

Weight: 26.9 g

Provenance: Liverpool Medals 2022

The Order of the Double Dragon Type II, issued in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1897), was a revised version of the original Order of the Double Dragon issued in the 7th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1881). An imperial memorial from March 13, AD 1897, reveals two major issues with the Order at that time: first, the “design” did not embody the true form of the “Order of the Double Dragon,” as it included rectangular, diamond, sunflower, and circular shapes; second, it was inconvenient to wear due to its excessive weight. The class and system of the two versions of the Order of the Double Dragon remained fundamentally unchanged, with only modifications to the design of the Order.

This Order is a Second Class 1st Grade Badge of the Order, which is awarded together with the star. The appearance of the Subordinate Order should be of gold; however, due to the possibility that the manufacturer did not gilt or due to wear, this piece appears with a silver-like texture. The design features an outer ring in the form of a five-petalled lotus, with one fewer petal compared to the First-Class Subordinate Order, and the petals are arranged in a somewhat loose pattern. Consequently, the spaces between the petals are decorated with blue enamel flowers shaped like five-petalled blossoms. Surrounding this is a pair of dragons, with a sun depicted in the centre of each dragon’s head, adorned with a small round red coral and encircled by a dodecagon-shaped blue enamel, symbolising the dragon pearl. At the centre is a large round red coral, which is engraved with the character “壽” (longevity). According to historical records, the Subordinate Order is typically worn with a purple ribbon, and the suspension ring features a design resembling the patterns of a Ruyi(如意Images of blessing) sceptre.

The inception of Qing dynasty orders and decorations occurred after the First Opium War, as Europeans began to flock to China, rendering the traditional foreign policies inadequate for contemporary needs. Despite the establishment of the Zongli Yamen, an office dedicated to handling foreign affairs, cultural and ceremonial differences led to various conflicts and frictions. Faced with a significant number of foreigners employed in military, industrial, educational, and economic sectors in China, traditional Chinese rewards such as “top-rank insignia” or “imperial commendations” were insufficient to satisfy the foreigners. Therefore, in order to align with Western practises, the Qing dynasty created the system of orders and decorations.

In April of the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1908), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved a memorial to extend the awarding of the “Order of the Double Dragon” beyond foreigners, to include Qing dynasty foreign affairs officials and emissaries sent abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs observed that the primary purpose of orders and decorations in Western countries was to honour their own nationals, whereas the Qing dynasty had done the opposite. During formal diplomatic occasions, foreigners would often wear formal attire adorned with all their awarded orders and decorations. However, Qing dynasty diplomats were frequently unable to wear their own national orders and decorations, having to wear only foreign ones instead. This reform was implemented to address this issue.

Due to the issuance of this precious star in the late 19th century, a period of increased diplomatic activity for the Qing dynasty compared to the past, the second edition of the Order of the Double Dragon, issued in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1897), saw significant production, distribution, and survival rates. As a result, it is the most commonly encountered version of the Order of the Double Dragon in modern collections.

The two versions of the Order of the Double Dragon have no significant differences in terms of class and system. The following table shows the correspondence between the levels of the Order of the Double Dragon and the recipients of the awards according to the regulations of the Order in the 7th year of Guangxu (AD 1881):

物件編號: M245

年代: 公元 1897-1909 年

材質: 銀, 珐瑯

尺寸: 89.4 x 48.1 x 9.4 mm

重量: 26.9 g

來源: 利物浦獎章2022

此為光緒23年（公元1897年）發行的第二版雙龍寶星，改版了光緒7年（公元1881年）發行雙龍寶星。從光緒23年（公元1897年）3月13日的奏摺裡，可見當時寶星的兩個主要問題：第一為「版型」並為具備真正「寶星」的形式，因有長方形、菱花形、葵花行與圓形；第二則為佩戴不便，因為過於沈重。兩個版本的雙龍寶星在等級、制度基本上沒有太大的差異，只有寶星的樣式進行修改變動。

此寶星為二等一級的副寶星，授予時會連同正寶星一起授予。副寶星的外觀：應為金制，不過可能因製造商無鍍金或者老舊脫落，此枚寶星呈現銀色質地。從最外圍呈現五瓣蓮花式，比頭等副寶星少一片花瓣，排列略顯鬆散，因此花瓣間裝飾著五瓣花的藍色珐瑯小花。再來由雙龍環繞，龍頭中間有顆太陽以圓形小顆紅色珊瑚裝飾，並用十二邊型的藍色琺瑯包圍，寓意龍珠。最中間為大顆圓形的紅色珊瑚，圓形上雕刻著「壽」字的圖樣。根據文獻記載，副寶星通常搭配紫色大綬帶配戴，懸掛環則為如意紋的樣式。

清朝勳章的誕生，是在第一次鴉片戰爭後，歐洲人開始湧入清朝，傳統的對外政策已無法符合當時的需求。即便設立專門處理對外事務的「總理各國事務衙門」，仍因為習俗禮儀等落差，造成各種摩擦與碰撞。在面對大量聘用於清朝的軍工、教育、經濟等行業的外國人，傳統對中國人的「頂戴花鈴」或者「傳旨嘉獎」等方式，無法讓外國人滿足。因此為了與西方制度接軌，於是創造了清朝勳章寶星制度。

在光緒34年（公元1908年）4月經外務部奏准「雙龍寶星」今後的頒發不再僅限外國人，同時也頒發給清朝外務官員以及出洋各史。外務部認為西方各國設立的勳章，主要目的是頒發給本國人，然而清朝卻完全相反。在涉及外交正式場合時，外國人往往會穿著禮服，並佩戴自己獲得的所有勳章，然而清朝的外交官員，常無法配戴本國的勳章，只能配戴外國的勳章，因有此改革。

由於此寶星發行年間為19世紀末，清朝外交活動相較於過去又更加的頻繁。因此光緒23年（公元1897年）發行的第二版雙龍寶星，不論是在製作、頒發和存世的數量非常的多，也是現代收藏中最常見雙龍寶星的版本。

兩個版本的雙龍寶星在等級、制度基本上沒有太大的差異，下表為光緒7年（公元1881年）寶星章程等級對應頒發對象：