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This replica of a crane badge for a civil official of the first rank was provided by the Shanghai Jiading Museum. Rank badges were first used by the empress Wu Zetian in the Tang dynasty. Rank badges, both round and square, were used to classify official ranks and to decorate costumes. Round badges were worn by royalty and nobility, and square badges by civil or military officials. The different ranks were illustrated by patterns of birds or mammals.
 
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