Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-03-29
CHINESE OFFICIAL INSIGNIA
Quaint Horold,c Emblems OF Civic
and Military DesiRna



Nothing is more complicated thnn
Chinese etiquette, said DR. Edward
BedlOe, ex-consul to Annoy. to n
Washington Post reporter A master
Of Dchrctt and Burke is II novice be.
side II Celestial master Of ceremonies
Nevertheless. the lattcr's system is def.
mite. IL elaborate, and he has many
official landmarks whereby to shape
his course One OF the most important
Of these Is the button which Is worn by
every mandarin on the top OF his hat
Each Of the nine ranks Of Chinese has
It's particular button and the second
degree Of the first and second ranks are
also marked by separate buttons. The
official list Is as follows:
Frat rank First degree, light coral
rcd button; second degree, deep coral
red button Second rank First de.
gree. light crimson button; second de.
gree, dark crimson button. Third
rank both. light clear blue Fourth
rank-Durk prussian blue Fifth
-s.uartz. glass or crystal. Sixth
Opaque white. Seventh and eighth
-Giliod, yellow or gold Ninth-Sil-
yer or silycr-whitc
II will be seen that n red button in
dicntcs high rank. The rank In gem
cral Is personal rather than official.
Thus, for example, Il taotarship Is an
Office OF the third rank, and its button
Is light, clear blue. Yet many tao
tatis. IL not majority OF the class,
are decorated with red buttons. II
even happens that person OF the sec
ond rank, through misfortune or polit-
icnl vicissitudcs. will hold an Office Of
the iifth or sixth rank. In such q case
he would still wear his red button, and
in many official events would be pre-
coded by an official OF dark blue or
crystal button. For this reason II Is
often very difficult to tell the official
rank Of mandarins by their buttons.
scr Is the difficulty lcssencd by the
embroidered insignia upon the wear
ing apparel. This Is more elaborate
than the buttons, but, like tho latter,
doe, not discriminate between rank
and position.
To overcome the difficulty the Chi
ncse resort to several expcdients. One
is the card on which Is written a full
statement OF the owners rank, degree
AID position Another consists Of hav-
ing the ZANE facts painted upon the
lanterns with which all chairs nre pro-
vidsd. These can he read with equal
ease day or night The third is used
fcr the information OF the public and
consists In having the name and all
titles carved In large, bold characters
on long red boards. which are carried
rs coolies. Mundarins who have re-
criYcd many hunors will frequently
have aa many Us twenty Of these rcd
hpards. Where an official has retired
from scrvicc he Is still entitled To
place these boards nj the entrance Of
his residence. a fourth mode Icscm.
blcs the preceding and applies to
junl:a or vessels in which mandarin
travels. The characters are written
upon fugs, which are fastened to the
mat and elsewhere In lieu Of ordinary
bunting. When the present governor
Of Formosn left Shanghai on the steam.
cr Smith no Less than thirty banners
of this class were lung to the breeze
from the lnasts and other parts of the
boat. The embroidered insignias of
ranlS and position are placed upon the
front and bnclS Ut official robes. They
must be ~ the finest workmanship aud
20 we'll executed NJ TO show the design
clearly and accurately, Tho general
design for civil officer Is Il bird and
for II military official quadrupcd an.
llnal. The civil list Is as follows,
ranks aud not degrees being discrim-
mated:
First, manchurian crane; second,
golden pheasant; third, peacock;
fourth, wild goose; fifth silver
pheasant; sixth. young egret;
seventh, quail; eighth, long-tailed
jay; ninth, an oriole.
The military list runs: First n uni
corn; second, lion; third, n leopard;
fourth, u tger afth, D black beari
sixth, II tiger cat; seventh, IA notified
bear; eighth, a seal; ninth, n rhinoc-
eros.
These nsignias have been used from
time immcmorinl, while the buttons
are creation OF the Mnnchu con-
querors OF China. IL IL q singular fact
that both the lion and rhinoceros are
strangers to the latter country. The
limit Of their habitat seems to be the
Gauges and TO have been SO since the
tertiary period The knowledge OF
these animals by the Chinese was ac-
quired long before the Christian era,
when large fleets OF junlSs, naval,
pirate or commercial, went from Can
ton to nearly every port in IIindoostan
and often brought back these and
other wild beasts alive. OF late years
etiquette has relaxed considerably In
regard 10 both buttons and insignia.