Hoping for information Golden grain

[Ruth]

Hello,

I am trying to find out 2 things.

My Great Grandmother was awarded the order of the Golden grain by Sun Yat Sen for services rendered to China. This is fairly well documented, but although we have another local style medal that was awarded to her we have no idea where her Golden grain went. So, can anyone tell me

1) Would she have received a particular medal or was this an honour that would be bestowed without a medal being presented?

2) If she was presented with a medal and it has somehow entered into someone else's collection is there any way of tracing it?

The medal we do have was most probably made in Fuzhou (Foo Chow) where she lived and worked. When I have researched it, it seems to be a "Royal Household Office" medal. I have no idea what this means, but guess that it was a local presentation medal given for service of some sort.

 

Thank you for any help you can offer.

Ruth ( Not exactly a Gentleman!)

 

 

[fjcp]

Welcome to the forum Ruth, where ladies are equally welcome!

 

Im afraid I can't help you with your two questions, but if you could post a picture of the medal that you do have that would be great.

 

 

thanks

Jan

 

[jcwater]

1、嘉禾没有编号可查，版本繁多，要找到原始的那一枚非常困难。

2、若没有原始的照片，光有证书文献记载，也很难确定谁收藏了你家的那一枚。

[Ruth]

Hello Jan,

I have finally managed to get a picture of the medal, so I hope the attachment works.

I hope it's interesting to you, it certainly is beautifully made and has been well worn as the maker's mark is almost invisible on the reverse.

My Great grandmother was called Amy Oxley, she then married Dr George Wilkinson, they were both missionaries in Fuzhou for about 20 years. The left China in about 1920.

 

If you have any ideas about who might have presented this medal that would be great.

Best wishes

Ruth

Message to Jc Water

Thank you for replying, I have asked a friend to translate for me.

Best wishes

Ruth

[Claudius]

Could you show the reverse too? 

 

Thank you

[drclaw]

As JC says, the Golden Grain medals were not numbered on the reverse so it is impossible to determine the recipient of a particular specimen without any other documentation. Tracing it would also be next to impossible unless you can establish a clear provenance trail.

The honour would not have been presented without the medal.

It's interesting that you mention Sun Yatsen as awarding the Golden Grain. Sun was the first Provisional President of the Republic but resigned as part of the deal to end the Chinese Civil War and establish the Republic. The Golden Grain was inaugurated in 1912 by President Yuan Shikai and awarded by him and his successors in the Beiyang Government in Beijing until the Guomindang defeated the warlords in 1928.

Some references suggest that Sun Yatsen and the Nationalists in Guangdong Province awarded the same honours as the "national" government in Beijing but I've not been able to verify this.

It won't help you track down the medal but it's worth doing an online search of The London Gazette of your grandmother's name. If she applied to the British Foreign Ministry for approval to wear the insignia, it would be listed.

The medal you posted is the Imperial Household Medal awarded during the Qing Dynasty. It quite often appears on the market but I'm not sure why and to whom it was awarded.

 

 

[Ruth]

Hello drclaw,

Thank you for your reply. 

I have tried to find out more about Sun Yatsen and the way he awarded medals, but no luck yet!

 

I do know that my Great grand mother was not allowed to wear her medal. There are newspaper reports about the award ceremony, but the whereabouts of the medal are a mystery. However thank you for your suggestion about searching the London Gazette. I will give that a try and see if she did ask for approval.

Best wishes

Ruth

Claudius,

I am sorry I the medal is so well fixed that I can't get a picture of the back. I thought I had one, but apparently not.

Best

Ruth

[vg4351]

Hi all,

 

I have the same medal, among others from my granddad, and the reverse, at least on mine looks like this:

[paul wood]

Most interesting presumably it gives the name of the manufacturer. I suspect Gavin may have some more input on this.

Paul

 

[vg4351]

It seems mine is in a better shape(at least the enamel), and I was told that this is an Imperial House Medal, and it is intriguing as I could not find any information about it, and my chinese friends could not translate the inscription.

[Lingqi]

Hi Guys, 

the medal is issued by " Etiquette and Custom Division under the department of the Imperial Household", this type of medal is not very rare and has no serious number, however it is made in silver. 

With Golden Grain, I can't help too much unless we found the official record. 

 

[elynmacinnis]

I am a researcher for Kuliang (Gu Ling), the town where missionaries and others from the Fuzhou area, including Amoy (Xia Men) would take their summer holidays.  I have a photo of the Golden Grain award that was given to Mrs. Hartwell, who was  

 

 

a missionary in Fuzhou during those times.  I didn't take a photo of the reverse side of the medal - never thought to!  But I am sure this is Mrs. Hartwell's Golden Grain award.  It is in the Hartwell files in the Day Mission Library of Yale University.  

I am adding this note in case you would like to reply - I didn't manage to click the "notify me of replies" button before it got sent off.  So if you would like a reply - please reply to this one.

Edited January 3, 2017 by elynmacinnis