National seals of the Republic of China

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Seal of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
中華民國之璽
Versions
Armiger Taiwan
Adopted10 October 1929; 94 years ago (1929-10-10)
Motto中華民國之璽

中華
民國
之璽

UseOfficial seal of the state
Seal of Honour
榮典之璽
Versions
Armiger Taiwan
Adopted1 July 1931; 92 years ago (1931-07-01)
Motto榮典之璽

榮典
之璽

UseConferring of honours

The National seals of the Republic of China or the National seals of Taiwan are the

official seals of Taiwan. The Seal of Honour is used by the head of state in the conferring of honours
.

Design and measurements

The Seal of the Republic of China is made of green

right to left. The national emblem (Blue Sky with a White Sun) is engraved on top of the knob, decorated with a sapphire blue silk cordon.[1]

The Seal of Honour is made of white nephrite and weighs 4.3 kg. It is 11.1 cm in height, with 4.6 cm being the height of the body. The face of the seal is 13.6 cm square. Its inscription 榮典之璽 is written in seal script in vertical writing, with 榮典 and 之璽 written from right to left. The national emblem is engraved on top of the knob, and the sun, a dragon, and cloud iridescence are engraved on its sides. It is decorated with a sapphire blue silk cordon.[1]

In May 1946, when there was a misconception that the insignia engraved on the seals was the emblem of the

Tai Chi-t'ao explained, "the Father of the Nation [Sun Yat-sen] designated the Blue Sky with a White Sun as the National Emblem, of which the deep and broad meaning is apparent. The Three Principles of the People is the implementation of the Blue Sky with a White Sun, and by the interpretation of the heavenly mandate and the popular will, Blue Sky with a White Sun is the body of the Grand Impartiality [zh]; the cultivation of personal integrity and the implementation of virtues are all modelled after the Blue Sky with a White Sun. I have followed the Father of the Nation for years and was present at the adoption of the seals by the Nationalist Government. Hence I leave this brief record for the worthy of later ages."[2]

The ceremonial stand and tray are constructed of

Formosan lilies, which symbolize resilient vitality, good governance, social peace, and national prosperity.[1]

History

Beiyang Government

In December 1914, the

letters of credence, etc. The second, the Seal of Investiture (封策之璽), was used in the investiture of nobilities and appointment of offices. The third, the Seal of Honour, was used in the conferring of medals and other documents of honour.[3]

Adoption by the Nationalist Government

Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty
.
The Seal of Honour is affixed to the certificate of medal.

On 2 November 1928, the fifth meeting of the

Burma and offered them to the Nationalist Government. One of the jades was carved by the Printing and Casting Bureau under the National Government's Department of Civic Affairs and adopted as the Seal of the Republic of China on 10 October 1929; the other was carved into the seal of the Kuomintang.[4]

Nanking offered the nephrite jade to the Nationalist Government. Designed and carved by the Printing and Casting Bureau, the Seal of Honour was received by Chiang Kai-shek, chairman of the Nationalist Government, in person on 1 January 1931 and was adopted on 1 July in the same year.[5]

On 20 May 1948, with the promulgation of the

Office of the President was concurrently appointed to the post of Keeper of the Seals [zh], who was, under the command of the secretary general to president
, responsible for safekeeping the two national seals and security during imprinting.

On 7 December 1949, when the

ROC Air Force aircraft, upon arrival at the Chiayi Airport, took an overnight train to Taipei and carried the seals to the Grand Hotel, which was a temporary office of the government, and then to the Taipei Guest House. Separately, Chin Hsiao-yi [zh] was entrusted by Cheng Yan-fen, secretary-general of the Kuomintang, with the transferral of the Seal of Honour and the seal of the Kuomintang to Taipei.[7] When Chiang resumed presidency on 1 March 1950, Wang and Chu passed the seals onto the deputy head of the First Bureau Tsao Sheng-fen. Thus the use of the national seals resumed in Taiwan.[4]

In January 1975, the First Bureau circulated to government agencies the Illustrations and Descriptions of the Seal of the Republic of China and the Seal of Honour, with the depiction of the seals in colour and Chinese and English descriptions of their materials, measurements and use.

Prior to the amendment to the Office of the President Organisation Act on 24 January 1996, the national seals had been kept in an iron made

Presidential Office Building.[8][9] The Imprinting Officer is also responsible for keeping the presidential seal, as well as those of the vice president, the premier and the ministers.[9]

Prior to 2000, article 5 of the Credential Act (印信條例) stipulated the president of the republic shall receive the national seals and the presidential seal from a representative of the National Assembly. This symbolises the transition of the authority and administration of the state.[9] In 2000, an amendment to the act added that the president of the Legislative Yuan should be responsible when the National Assembly was not in session. Following the abolishment of the National Assembly, the president of the Legislative Yuan grants the seals to the president at the presidential inauguration.

Wooden stands and trays for the seals were first used at the 2020 presidential inauguration. It was designed and crafted by Professor Huang Chun-Chieh of the Department of Wood Science and Design, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology.[10][11]

Use

The Seal of the Republic of China is the official seal of the state. It is used for marking credentials, instruments of

full powers, exequaturs, consular commissions, and so on.[1]

The Seal of Honour is the official seal with which the president, as the head of state, confers honours and decorations. It is used for stamping medal certificates, citations, commendatory plaques, and other such items.[1]

Special care is to be taken when using the national seal, which is done in the form of rubbing rather than stamping. To mark documents, they are placed face-up, then the faces are covered with cinnabar oil ink. The document is then placed face-down on the face of the seal, and then pressure is applied evenly on the back of the sheet.[1][9][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "The National Seals of the Republic of China (Taiwan)". Office of the President.
  2. ^ 陳宗嶽 (October 10, 2010). 細說同根並蒂的「中華民國之璽」與「中國國民黨之璽」 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 中國國民黨黃復興黨部復興雜誌社. p. 58. 我國父定青天白日為國徽,其意義之廣大深遠,已自明顯。三民主義即青天白日之用,天心人意皆以青天白日為大中至正之體;而誠正修齊治平之工夫,亦無不以青天白日為楷模。余追隨國父者有年,國府議定璽案余亦在席,因畧誌之,以告後賢。 {{cite book}}: |magazine= ignored (help)
  3. year of the Republic
    .]. The Storm Media. May 21, 2020.
  4. ^ a b 陳宗嶽 (October 10, 2010). 細說同根並蒂的「中華民國之璽」與「中國國民黨之璽」 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 中國國民黨黃復興黨部復興雜誌社. p. 58. {{cite book}}: |magazine= ignored (help)
  5. ^ 廣祿 (March 1, 1971). 國璽的由來 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 《中外雜誌》第九卷第三期. pp. 85-87.
  6. ISSN 1991-6477. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  7. ^ "黨齡30年也沒見過 國民黨黨璽公開亮相!" [Even unseen by members of 30 years; Party seal of Kuomintang shown to the public!]. NewTalk. March 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "總統府全球資訊網將自十一月一日起推出最新改版「國璽與勳章」單元" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Office of the President. October 31, 2003.
  9. ^ a b c d "推開總統府的門 看見你不知道的事(影音)" [Open the doors of the presidential office, See what you didn't know (video)] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Radio Taiwan International. October 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "屏科大黃俊傑創作國璽基座托盤 1個多月瘦6公斤" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Central News Agency. June 19, 2020.
  11. Taiwan Today
    .
  12. ^ 用印「不是蓋的!」 80年珍貴國璽 揭神秘面紗 [Not for Stamping! Revealing the Precious 80 year-old National Seals] (YouTube) (in Chinese). 東森新聞 CH51. April 14, 2017. Use of the seal is demonstrated at 00:54.

External links