Antique Chinese Embroidered "Crane" Rank Badge. The crane was reserved for the highest levels of civil authority, usually the 1st or 2nd rank depending on the province. 

Size: 8 X 9 in. 

#3991 . 

During the Ming (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911), the imperial administration of China grew ever more complex, and it became necessary to be able to quickly distinguish a person’s place or rank within the system. A distinctive form of embroidered items appeared: rank badges, squares of densely embroidered cloth that were sewn onto the formal dress of court officials. There were nine ranks of civil officials, all sporting a different bird on their badge, in order from first to ninth: Manchurian crane, golden pheasant, peacock, wild goose, silver pheasant, egret, mandarin duck, quail, and paradise flycatcher. The badges (called pu zi) were sewn onto the front and back of the surcoat pu fu, or “coat with a patch,” and worn over the formal court robes. A pair always consisted of a “whole” image for the back and a “split” one for the front. Birds were collectively seen as a symbol of literary elegance in China, hence their importance to the system, and the crane in particular was associated with happiness, longevity, and royalty. Military officials wore rank badges, too, but instead of just birds a wide variety of animals associated with courage and ferocity adorned their badges. Again there were nine ranks, and in order from first to ninth: qi-lin (a mythical creature with the head of a dragon, scales on his body, the legs of a stag, and a bushy tail), dragon, lion, leopard, tiger, bear, panther, rhinoceros, and sea-horse. Lower ranks of the imperial nobility were also permitted to wear the military rank badges. The wives of military and civil officials adorned their formal dress with rank badges, too. Rather than being part of the court, they would wear their dress with badges during important social occasions such as marriages. Eventually the qi-lin became reserved for higher ranking aristocracy and relatives of the Emperor, and a distinct rank was assigned specifically to judges and officers of the law: the hsieh-chai, a goat-like supernatural creature endowed with the ability to discern guilt or innocence.