As we all know, Zhang Zuolin was a famous military figure in China at the beginning of the 20th century, and because the photographic technology at that time had begun to become popular in China, Some of Zhang Zuolin's photos were circulated in the world. In one of the photos of Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Xueliang's brothers, Zhang Zuolin held a sabre in his left hand. So, where does this sabre come from?
It turned out that this sabre was not simple, it was the highest military honor that Chinese soldiers could obtain at that time - the Awakening Lion Medal Knife. The Awakening Lion Sword was originally established during the Beiyang period. In 1920, Xu Shichang, then the president of the Republic of China government, established the sabre system and promulgated the great presidential rules and decrees, establishing the Beiyang government's version of the lion knife system.
At that time, the medallion could be divided into 9 lion levels. 1-3 lions are awarded to colonels and lieutenants, 4-6 lions are awarded to generals, and 1-6 lions are awarded by the War Department or the Admiralty. The 7-9 lions conferr the title of "Special Meritorious Service" to the General, which is conferred by the President himself. The twelve lions are worn by the Grand President, who may also give them to foreign presidents, foreign emperor monarchs, or former presidents.
It is reported that during the Republic of China period, Cai Yi, Tang Jiyao and Zhang Zuolin won 9 lion swords. The descendants of the Cai family also donated their waking lion knife to the Museum of the Chinese Revolution for display to ordinary visitors.
In 1935, the then Nanjing government established the Second Awakening Lion Medal (established on November 23, 1931) to award officers who had already received the highest rank of medal and subsequently made significant contributions, as a higher-ranking commendation, equivalent to the highest honor of the army at that time. This version of the Awakening Lion Sword level is simplified compared to the first version, divided into 3 levels, the first level is 9 lions, red tassels, the second level is 7 lions, blue tassels, and the third level is 5 lions, yellow tassels.
The knife is 0.88 meters long, the sheath is made of gold, and the sheath and handle of the knife are decorated with lions with different looks and Western styles, supplemented by a carved pine tree ornament, using hammering and engraving technology, gilded ornaments, and two hanging rings on the upper part of the sheath.
The hilt of the knife is made of gilded gold thread wrapped around the tortoiseshell, and the handle is also tied with a red tassel, and there is a handguard on the handle. The main knife is 835 mm long, with a curved steel body, and the two sides of the knife body are engraved with couplets of "Yi Difficult Ding Gong" and "I Wu Wei Yang". The main knife is made of steel raw materials through forging and quenching processes, so the strength of the knife is very high, and it can indeed be collected as a heirloom sword.