First Opium War

choi

Orville Schell and John Delury, A Rising China Needs a New National Story; To move forward, the country must move on from its emphasis on a century of 'national humiliation.'  Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2013.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 99633633456090.html

My comment:
(a) The article talks about things that we are already aware of.
(b) The painting caption reads, "The capture of a Chinese Imperial Dragon Standard at the Battle of Chusan during the First Opium War. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith."
(i) standard (n):
"1: a conspicuous object (as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem
2
a : a long narrow tapering flag that is personal to an individual or corporation and bears heraldic devices
b : the personal flag of the head of a state or of a member of a royal family
c : an organization flag carried by a mounted or motorized military unit "
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard
(ii) The painting:
http://www.prints-online.com/the ... nt/696/4441123.html
("[title:] The Opium Wars - Capture of Chinese Dragon. [description:] The capture of a Chinese Imperial Dragon Standard at the Battle of Chusan (August 1841) during the First Opium War by Lieutenant Butler of the (55th Regiment Foot) Westmorland Regiment. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith. Copyright © Mary Evans/Malcolm Greensmith Collection")
(A) I am unsure that owner's description of the August, 1941 capture is correct. It might have been Oct 1, 1841.

There were two captures in that war: the first occurred in 1840 and the second, Oct 1, 1841. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Chusan_(1841)

See also a painting titled "Second taking of Chusan, China, Oct 1 1841." Royal Museum Greenwich, undated. (object ID: PAF6032)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/100859.html
(by Dr Edward Hodges Cree)
(B) Cumberland; The Border Regiment (34th and 55th Foot). in Ian FW Beckett, Discovering English County Regiments. Shire Pblications Ltd, 2003, at 29-30
http://books.google.com/books?id ... tandard&f=false
(Badge[:] The China Dragon at the center of the garter, superimposed on the Maltese Cross and backed by an eight-pointed Star, was awarded to the 55th for its service during the First China War of 1840-2, Lieutenant Butler capturing a Chinese Imperial Dragon standard at Chusan")
(C) Robert de Montjoie Rudolf, Short Histories of the Territorial Regiments of the British Army; Including the names of the officers and soldiers who have won the Victoria cross or the distinguished conduct medal. HM Stationery Office, 1902 - Victoria Cross, at 349-350
http://books.google.com/books/ab ... tml?id=o5tBAAAAYAAJ
("In the Chinese war of 1840-42 the 55th very greatly distinguished itself, particularly at the capture of Chusan, where Ensign Duell, just promoted from the rank of sergeant0major, wa killed while carrying the regimental colou, and Lieutenant Butler took a a dragon standard, which now hangs in Kendal Church. Again, at the escalade of Ching-kiang-fu, the regiment was the first to mount the city walls and thus won the honours of 'China' with the dragon")
* Click the book image to enter.
* That is Henry Thomas Butler.
(D) Katrina Hill, Collecting on Campaign; British soldiers in China during the Opium Wars.
Journal of the History of Collections, 25: 227-252 (2012)
http://jhc.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/2/227.full
("As armies have often done in times of war, the British seized flags and weapons as emblems of victory. * * * An imperial Chinese banner showing a dragon confronting a flaming pearl, won by Lieutenant Butler of the 55th Regiment of Foot during the occupation of Chusan (Zhoushan) in 1841, is in the regiment’s chapel at Kendal Parish Church, Cumbria. The capture was memorialized later in verse * * *")
(iii)  Malcolm Greensmith
http://www.stanfordpress.co.uk/pages/malcolmgreensmith.asp
is a British artist.