Chinese rank badges, also known as Mandarin squares or buzi, were worn by officials to indicate their civil, military, or imperial rank. These insignia were used during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and were sewn onto or woven into the wearer’s clothing. Different bird species were used to represent the rank of civil officials, while animals were used to represent military officers. The Illustrated Precedents for the Ritual Paraphernalia of the Imperial Court, published in 1759, regulated court attire. The fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 marked the end of the use of rank insignia. These badges are now highly collectible and are found in the collections of several American museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Today’s market for these badges is primarily made up of private buyers, including many emerging collectors who are drawn to the graphic imagery and reasonable prices of 19th-century examples. There were four types of rank insignia: imperial, civil officials’, military, and censors’. Each of these insignia clearly indicated the rank of its wearer, with nine different ranks for both civil and military officials.
Civil Badges
In Chinese tradition, badges featuring birds were worn by civil officials to denote their rank. These badges were highly coveted because attaining a position as a civil official required years of intense study. Different bird species were used to represent different ranks, with the order from highest to lowest being: crane, golden pheasant, peacock, wild goose, silver pheasant, egret, mandarin duck, quail, and paradise flycatcher. During court functions, civil officials sat on the emperor’s left and their rank badges faced right towards him. It can be difficult to identify the specific species of bird depicted on these badges due to the similarity in poses, size, and background decorations. However, certain species, such as peacocks, can be easily identified due to their distinctive eye design on their feathers. To distinguish between other species, it can be helpful to look at the shape of the head and neck and the form of the tail feathers. For example, first-rank cranes typically have a rounded head topped with a red cap, while fifth-rank silver pheasants have distinctive long, scalloped or serrated tail feathers.
Military Badges
In Chinese tradition, military rank insignia featuring real or mythical animals were worn to symbolize the wearer’s courage. The order of ranking creatures varied over time, but by the late Qing Dynasty, the order was: qilin, lion, leopard, tiger, bear, panther, rhinoceros, and sea horse (a horse galloping through the waves, rather than the undersea creature). Military officials sat on the emperor’s right during court functions, and their badges faced left towards him as a sign of respect. Military rank badges are more desirable because they are harder to find than civil badges. To accurately identify the animals depicted on these badges, it is important to focus on the details. For example, a tiger can be distinguished from a panther by the wavy lines or open crescent shapes on its body and the three horizontal lines on its forehead, which symbolize its status as the king of beasts. Panthers, on the other hand, do not have any distinguishing marks.
Dragon Roundels for the Imperial Family
In Chinese tradition, circular badges were worn by the emperor, his immediate imperial family, and the highest-ranking nobility to signify heaven. Square badges were worn by lower-ranking nobility to symbolize earth. According to their status, male members of the imperial family wore either long dragons or mang dragons on their robes and badges. Long dragons had five claws and were only worn by the emperor, while mang dragons, which looked the same as long dragons but were distinguished only by name, were assigned to the emperor’s sons, imperial princes of the first rank and their sons, and imperial princes of the second rank. The emperor’s grandsons, great-grandsons, great-great-grandsons, and imperial princes of the third rank to nobles of the seventh rank all wore four-clawed mang dragons.
How to distinguish Ming from Qing
Chinese rank insignia, known as buzi or Mandarin squares, were regulated by imperial decree in 1391, 1652, and 1759 during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Ming badges are more varied because early costume mandates were less specific, but there are a few key indicators to identify them. Ming badges often show birds in pairs with both in flight, while Qing badges typically show a single creature with a sun and ornamental borders with clouds and auspicious symbols. Qing insignia are smaller and more of a true square shape than Ming badges, which were designed to fit on flowing robes. Appliqué animals began to appear on Qing badges in the mid-19th century, making it easier for officials to swap creatures as they moved up the ranks. Ming examples are rare and generally command high prices, while Qing rank badges, particularly 19th-century examples, are more plentiful. High-ranking badges from the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly those from the Kangxi period (1661-1722), are particularly sought-after for their fine gold backgrounds and embroidery containing peacock feather filaments.
The first rule of badges
Rank badges, or Mandarin squares, were produced by different artisans across the Chinese empire for nearly 600 years and often break the rules of traditional categorization. While certain stylistic trends are associated with certain periods, these badges were constantly evolving and do not fit into well-defined categories. In Ladder to the Clouds: Intrigue and Tradition in Chinese Rank (1999), collector and scholar Dr. David Hugus sums up the complexity of these badges by stating: “Remember this one unvarying rule for Mandarin squares: there are no unvarying rules for Mandarin squares.” This highlights the difficulty in categorizing these badges and emphasizes the need to consider each badge individually rather than relying on preconceived notions of what it should look like based on its period of production.
Rare rank badges
There is a greater supply of badges for higher-ranking civil officials than for lower-ranking ones because it is estimated that nearly half of bureaucrats who had completed the necessary exams advanced to the first rank, and these promotions often came with wealth and the possibility of ordering several sets of luxury attire. Those with lower standing, such as secretaries from the eighth rank or prison wardens from the ninth rank, had fewer opportunities for advancement and were less likely to be able to afford lavish wardrobes. As a result, low-ranking civil officials were often buried in their best clothes, and their rank badges were lost. The same is true for military badges, which are generally more difficult to find. Low-ranking military badges depicting rhinoceroses or sea horses are exceptionally rare, and there are no known examples in major public collections.
Mirror
During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), portraits show women wearing identical rank badges to their husbands, but it wasn’t until the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) that edicts outlining rules for women were issued. During this time, the wives and children of officials (sons and unmarried daughters) were allowed to wear their husband’s or father’s insignia. It became tradition for a wife’s badge to be a mirror image of her husband’s so that when she sat beside him (women sat on their husband’s left), their creatures would be facing each other. For example, the rank bird on a civil official’s wife’s badge would face left.
Condition issues
Rank badges, made of embroidered silk, brocade, or kesi, are prone to the same conservation issues as other historic textiles. The silk thread used in these badges is dyed with organic pigments, which means that any fading caused by sun exposure will be permanent. To prevent fading, it is best to display Mandarin squares and the garments they decorate away from direct sunlight. When evaluating rank badges for your collection, be aware of signs of wear and tear, such as stains, loosened threads, or splitting in the weave. It is almost impossible to find a Ming or early Qing dynasty badge in perfect condition, so collectors should keep this in mind when evaluating these badges.
