The August 1 Medal is the highest honorary medal bestowed on military personnel by the People's Republic of China.[1] The bestowal is decided by the Central Military Commission and presented by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.[2] According to law, this medal is awarded to "military personnel who have made great contributions and established outstanding meritorious service in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and promoting the modernization of national defense and the military, and have had a profound impact on the country and the entire military." It is awarded every five years.[3]
| August 1 Medal 八一勋章 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) August 1 Medal | |
| Type | Military awards and decorations |
| Awarded for | "Military personnel who have meritorious service in upholding sovereignty, security and development interests of the state, and promoting the modernization of national defense and the armed forces" |
| Country |  People's Republic of China |
| Eligibility | Military personnel of China |
| Status | Active |
| Established | 12 June 2017 |
| First awarded | 28 July 2017 |
| Last awarded | 27 July 2022 |
| Total recipients | 13 |
 Ribbon of the Medal | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Medal of the Republic |
| Equivalent | July 1 Medal |
| Next (lower) | Order of Heroic Exemplar |
| August 1 Medal | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 八一勳章 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 八一勋章 | ||||||
| |||||||
History
editThe August 1 Medal was originally established in 1955 as the highest military award for members of the PLA who served during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War. On 12 June 2017, with the approval of Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Order of August the First was re-established.[1]
Recipients
edit2017
editOn 28 July 2017, Xi Jinping awarded the decoration to ten recipients:[4]
- Mai Xiande (麦贤得)
- Ma Weiming (马伟明), led the development of China's electromagnetic catapult system for launching aircraft from carriers
- Li Zhonghua (李中华)
- Wang Zhongxin (王忠心)
- Jing Haipeng (景海鹏), first Chinese astronaut to fly in space more than once
- Cheng Kaijia (程开甲), nuclear engineer and key figure in Chinese nuclear weapon development
- Wei Changjin (韦昌进)
- Wang Gang (王刚)
- Leng Pengfei (冷鹏飞)
- Yin Chunrong (印春荣)
2022
editOn 27 July 2022, Xi Jinping signs order to confer Medal on three military individuals:[5]
- Du Fuguo (杜富国), sergeant in the PLA Southern Theater Command
- Qian Qihu (钱七虎), retired researcher at the former PLA University of Science and Technology
- Nie Haisheng (聂海胜), renowned astronaut from the PLA Astronaut Division
References
edit- ^ a b "经中央军委主席习近平批准 我军新设立"八一勋章"并组织首次评选". 新华网. 12 June 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2017.
- ^ "习近平向"八一勋章"获得者颁授勋章和证书 向获得荣誉称号的单位颁授奖旗_滚动新闻_中国政府网". gov.cn. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "经中央军委主席习近平批准 中央军委将评选颁授"八一勋章" 中央军委办公厅印发通知部署提名工作-新华网". news.cn. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "景海鹏、程开甲、王刚等10人被授予"八一勋章"". Phoenix News (in Chinese). 28 July 2017.
- ^ "Xi signs order to confer August 1 Medal on three military individuals". Xinhua. 27 July 2022.