The Medal of the Republic is the highest honorary medal of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The bestowal is decided by the

Standing Committee of the National People's Congress The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) is the permanent body of the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. It exercises the powers of the NPC when it is not in s ...

and presented by the

President of China The president of China, officially the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China. On its own, it is a Fig ...

. According to law, this medal is bestowed on "outstanding individuals who have made great contributions and established outstanding merits in the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics and defense of the country." On 27 December 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed a law establishing three national orders of merit: the Medal of the Republic, the National Honorary Titles, and the Friendship Medal, effective on 1 January 2016.

Description

The Medal of the Republic adopts an overall color scheme of red and gold. The ''badge'' features the

National Emblem A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. Many nations have a seal or emblem in addition to a national flag. Other national symbols, such as national ...

and the

five-pointed star A five-pointed star (☆), geometrically an equilateral concave decagon, is a common ideogram in modern culture. Comparatively rare in classical heraldry, it was notably introduced for the flag of the United States in the Flag Act of 1777 and si ...

, as well as symbolic representations of the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

, the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

, mountain peaks, and peonies (specifically the ' 牡丹, or ''

Paeonia × suffruticosa ''Paeonia'' × ''suffruticosa'' is a name used for a group of cultivars of Tree peony, tree peonies that are the result of hybridisation with species exclusively belonging to the subsection Vaginatae. The common name used in China is (). Plants ...

''). The ''chain'' incorporates motifs inspired by the Chinese knot (), the ''

ruyi Rúyì (如意 "as desired") may refer to: * Ruyi Bridge, a bridge in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China *Ruyi (scepter), ceremonial Buddhist scepter or a talisman *Ruyi Island, off the coast of Haikou, Hainan * Ruyi Lake, near Chengde, Hebei * Ruyi, Shaosh ...

'' (), and

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

. Various

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals in order to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term, it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on e ...

techniques, including cold-press

forging Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...

inlay Inlay covers a range of techniques in sculpture and the decorative arts for inserting pieces of contrasting, often colored materials into depressions in a base object to form Ornament (art), ornament or pictures that normally are flush with the ...

, and

enamelling Vitreous enamel, also called porcelain enamel, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between . The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating. The word ''vitreous'' comes ...

, are involved in the process of its production.

Recipients

References

{{Reflist Orders, decorations, and medals of the People's Republic of China

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...