# Order of Brilliant Star

Order of Brilliant Star (Chinese: 景星勳章; pinyin: Jǐng xīng xūnzhāng) is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation. The order is instituted in 1941 and can be awarded to both domestic and foreign nationals.

## Order medal and ranks

The centre of the medal is a five-pointed star in token of virtue. The name 'Brilliant Star' came from the ancient book of Records of the Grand Historian (史記) which says "The Brilliant Stars, which differs in appearance from time to time, shine upon the nations of the righteous."
There are nine ranks within the order according to the Article of Decorations of the Republic of China. First rank should be awarded by the President of Republic of China.

### Classes

* Grades
* 1st Class (Special Grand Cordon)
* 2nd Class (Grand Cordon)
* 3rd Class (Purple Grand Cordon)
* 4th Class (Special Cravat)
* 5th Class (Cravat)
* 6th Class (Special Rosette)
* 7th Class (Rosette)
* 8th Class (Special Ribbon)
* 9th Class (Ribbon)

## Recipients
### First Rank
#### Republic of China Nationals

| Date Awarded | Recipient | Service Awarded For |
| 6 February 2021 | Chow Wang | Secretary-General of The Coalition |
| 17 December 2015 | Pai Hsien-yung | |
| 17 December 2015 | Yu Guangzhong | |
| 5 October 2012 | Tseng Yung-chuan | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 24 February 2012 | Wu Jin-lin | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 17 February 2012 | Sean Chen | Vice premier of the Republic of China |
| 31 January 2011 | Liao Liou-yi | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 9 November 2010 | Hsieh Tsai-chuan | |
| 15 September 2009 | Paul Chiu | Vice premier of the Republic of China |
| 15 September 2009 | Chan Chun-po | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 16 July 2009 | Chiu Hong-Da | |
| 7 May 2008 | Mark Chen | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 20 May 2007 | Lee Jye | Minister of National Defence |
| 16 February 2006 | Paul Shan Cardinal Kuo-hsi, SJ | Roman Catholic Cardinal of Taiwan |
| 27 January 2006 | Wu Rong-i | Vice premier of the Republic of China |
| 2 March 2005 | Su Tseng-chang | President of the Executive Yuan |
| 2 March 2005 | Yeh Chu-lan | Vice premier of the Republic of China |
| 19 May 2004 | Kang Ning-hsiang | Secretary-General of National Security Council |
| 19 May 2004 | Chiou I-jen | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 18 May 2004 | Tang Yao-ming | Minister of National Defence |
| 18 May 2004 | Lin Hsin-i | Vice premier of the Republic of China |
| 25 September 2003 | Lee Ming-liang | Head of Department of Health |
| 30 January 2003 | Chen Shimeng | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 4 February 2002 | Lai In-jaw | Vice premier of the Republic of China |
| 31 January 2002 | Yu Shyi-kun | Premier of the Republic of China |
| 6 September 2001 | Chuang Ming-yao | Secretary-General of National Security Council |
| 16 May 2000 | Yin Tsung-wen | Secretary-General of National Security Council |
| 16 May 2000 | Liu Chao-shiuan | Vice premier of the Republic of China |
| 2000 | Lin Rong-San | |
| 3 August 1996 | Wu Po-hsiung | Secretary-General of the Presidential Office |
| 27 December 1994 | Kwoh-Ting Li | Minister of Finance & Minister of Economic Affairs |
| 16 April 1994 | Chiang Wei-kuo | Secretary-General of National Security Council |
| 2 March 1993 | Ta-You Wu | President of Academia Sinica |
| July 1978 | Yu Kuo-hwa | Premier of the Republic of China |
| 1961 | Jack C. K. Teng | Chairman of Chinese National Olympic Committee (Now Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee) |
| 10 October 1945 | Zhu Jiahua | Deputy President of Academia Sinica |
| 1944 | Chen Li-Fu | Senior Advisor of State |
| 1944 | Zhang Qun | Premier of the Republic of China |
| 1 January 1944 | Zhang Boling | President and founder of Nankai University |

#### Foreign Nationals

| Date Awarded | Recipient | Service Awarded For |
| 9 May 2024 | Hideo Tarumi | Japanese diplomat |
| 23 March 2023 | Robert O'Brien | U.S. National Security Advisor |
| 11 March 2022 | Edwin Laurent | St. Lucia Ambassador to the Republic of China |
| 3 March 2022 | Mike Pompeo | Former U.S. Secretary of State |
| 1 September 2015 | Ed Royce (2nd time) | Chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs |
| 12 June 2017 | Reinaldo Pared Pérez | Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic |
| 8 April 2016 | Ludwig Keke | Ambassador of Nauru to Taiwan |
| 7 April 2016 | Paul Fitzpatrick Russell | Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of China |
| 15 September 2015 | Juan Afara | Vice President of Paraguay |
| 15 September 2015 | Hugo A. Velazquez | Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay |
| 31 July 2015 | Manuel Salvador dos Ramos | Minister of Foreign Affairs (São Tomé and Príncipe) |
| 31 July 2015 | Frederic Laplanche | head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taipei |
| 26 July 2015 | Philip Kabua | Marshall Islands Ambassador to the Republic of China |
| 9 July 2015 | Caroline Vermeulen | Director of the Belgian Office in Taipei |
| 15 April 2015 | Christopher J. Marut | Director of the American Institute in Taiwan |
| 15 April 2015 | Calvin Eu | Head Trade Representative of the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei |
| 13 March 2015 | Ed Royce | Chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs |
| 17 July 2012 | William Stanton | Chairman of American Institute in Taiwan |
| 11 October 2011 | Donald Rumsfeld | Former U.S. Secretary of Defense |
| 3 June 2008 | Julio Guillermo González Gamarra | President of Central American Parliament |
| 19 May 2008 | Shintaro Ishihara | Governor of Tokyo |
| 15 April 2008 | Chikage Oogi | President of Japanese House of Councillors |
| 22 November 2006 | Yoshirō Mori | Former Prime Minister of Japan |
| 23 November 2004 | Václav Havel | Former President of the Czech Republic |
| May 2000 | Per Ahlmark | Support for democratization of Taiwan |
| 23 October 1969 | Mai Mai Gana | Nigerian state inspector |
| 23 October 1969 | Mouddou Zakara | Nigerian Minister of Telecommunications |
| May 1960 | Archie Lochhead | President of Universal Trading Corporation |
| March 1948 | Ronald Hall | Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao |

### Second Rank
#### Republic of China Nationals

| Date Awarded | Recipient | Service Awarded For |
| 6 May 2016 | Shen Lyu-shun | ROC Representative to the United States |
| 6 May 2016 | David Lin | Minister of Foreign Affairs, R.O.C. |
| 1 March 2016 | Bruce Cheng | Long-term and outstanding contributions to the country in terms of technology development, industrial upgrading and talent cultivation. |
| 14 November 2013 | Lo Chih-chiang | Deputy Secretary-General of the ROC Presidential Office |
| 2 May 2006 | Ang Lee | Outstanding service in film directing. The Presidential Office announced that Ang Lee will be honoured First Rank OBS in 2013. |
| 12 July 1975 | Fredrick Chien | Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, R.O.C. |
| 23 March 1966 | Yu-Tang Daniel Lew | Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, R.O.C. |

#### Foreign Nationals

| Date Awarded | Recipient | Service Awarded For |
| 21 December 2015 | David Alexander |
| 21 December 2015 | Etienne Georges Beauregard |
| 21 December 2015 | Andres Diaz de Rabago |
| 21 December 2015 | Daniel Freeman |
| 21 December 2015 | Theresa Kastner |
| 21 December 2015 | Fr. Gian Carlo Michelini |
| 21 December 2015 | Yves Moal |
| 21 December 2015 | Brendan O'Connell |
| 21 December 2015 | Antoine Pierrot |
| 21 December 2015 | Giovanni Rizz |
| 21 December 2015 | Juanelva Rose |
| 21 December 2015 | Miljenka Schnetzer |
| 17 September 1988 | Albert Allen Sealey |
| October 1980 | Pik Botha | South African Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| 1970 | Ta-Chung Liu | Economist |
| 1961 | Tomás Gabriel Duque |

## Reference list

* 1 2 "Civilian orders". english.president.gov.tw. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
* ↑ Article of Decorations. Taipei, Taiwan: Ministry of Justice. 1981.
* ↑ "President Tsai confers decoration on former Japanese diplomat Tarumi Hideo". english.president.gov.tw. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
* ↑ "President Tsai confers decoration on former White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien". english.president.gov.tw. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
* ↑ Yen, William (11 March 2022). "Marshall Islands' new ambassador to Taipei takes up post". Central News Agency. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
* ↑ "Taiwan honours former top US diplomat Pompeo, China calls him 'liar'". Channel NewsAsia. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
* ↑ "President confers medal on U.S. Congressman Ed Royce". Focus Taiwan. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
* ↑ "Chairman Royce Meets with President Tsai in Taiwan". Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
* ↑ Ku, Chuan; Huang, Romulo (12 June 2017). "Dominican Senate chief honored by Taiwan government". Retrieved 13 June 2017.
* ↑ "Amb Keke receives Taiwan medal for contributions to bilateral relations" (PDF). Nauru Bulletin (5): 6. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2022.
* ↑ Pei-chun, Tang; Kao, Evelyn (7 April 2016). "Vatican's top envoy to Taiwan leaving amid reshuffle". Central News Agency. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
* ↑ Hsieh, Chia-chen; Huang, Romulo (8 October 2015). "President Ma bestows honor on Paraguayan vice president". Central News Agency. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
* ↑ Hsieh, Chia-chen; Huang, Romulo (15 September 2015). "President decorates speaker of Paraguay's lower house". Central News Agency. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
* ↑ Hou, Elaine (31 July 2015). "Taiwan honors Sao Tome and Principe official for promoting ties". Central News Agency. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
* ↑ Hou, Elaine (31 July 2015). "Outgoing top EU envoy in Taiwan honored for efforts to promote ties". Central News Agency. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
* ↑ Hou, Elaine (27 August 2015). "Marshall Islands' new ambassador to Taipei takes up post". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
* ↑ Tang, Pei-chun; Huang, Romulo (9 July 2015). "Belgian representative in Taiwan decorated". Central News Agency. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
* ↑ Hou, Elaine (5 June 2015). "Marut leaves Taiwan; new AIT director expected to arrive Monday". Retrieved 5 June 2015.
* ↑ Huang, Kelven; Hou, Elaine (15 April 2015). "President confers medal on Singapore's outgoing envoy to Taiwan". Retrieved 15 April 2015.
* ↑ Huang, Kelven; Hou, Elaine (13 March 2015). "President confers medal on U.S. congressman for supporting Taiwan". Retrieved 14 March 2015.
* ↑ "Ma lauds AIT head Stanton for plans to stay on in Taiwan". Taipei Times. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
* ↑ "President Ma presents Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to former US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld". Mainland Affairs Council, Republic of China (Taiwan). 11 October 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
* ↑ "Personnytt: Utmärkelse", Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish), 4 May 2000
* 1 2 "Decorations are exchanged by Niger and Chinese gov'ts". Taiwan Today/Taiwan Info. 26 October 1969. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016. Alt URL
* ↑ "Page 1625 | Issue 38227, 5 March 1948 | London Gazette | The Gazette". Archived from the original on 16 November 2019.
* 1 2 Hsieh, Chia-chen; Hsu, Elizabeth (6 May 2016). "Minister, envoy decorated for diplomatic contributions". Central News Agency. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
* ↑ "Ang Lee to be honoured First Rank OBS". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
* ↑ Shelagh Gastrow (1986). Who's Who In South African Politics. Johannesburg: Ravan Press. p. 52. ISBN 9780869752807 – via Internet Archive. October 1980: Taiwan: The Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon.