China, Republic. A Keep Safe/Cash Box

In blackened copper, weighing 670 grams, the lid illustrating a traditional Chinese dragon filling the entire frame, its body moving towards the right, with its head turn inwards, left-facing and resting in the centre of the frame, its tail at the bottom and below the head, three talons on each of the rear and front feet, each set of talons gripping a Chinese character, the one on the left representing "Longevity", the one on the right representing "Fortune", the dragon framed by an ornate pattern along the perimeter edge, each of the four side panels on the base with a floral motif, with a lock installed on the front panel, the key having been lost to time, marked with a character representing "Big" within a diamond-shaped frame on the top of the lock mechanism frame, hinged along the rear edge, measuring 153 mm (w) x 93 mm (d) x 46 mm (h), the box having experienced damage through crushing, forcing the hinge to have been weakened, with a tear in the front right corner on the lid so that the lid sits askew versus the base, fine.

Footnote: This box was brought back in 1919 by a Canadian soldier attached to the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force (also referred to as the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Siberia) or simply the CSEF). It was a Canadian military force sent to Vladivostok, Russia, during the Russian Revolution, to bolster the allied presence, oppose the Bolshevik Revolution and attempt to keep Russia in the fight against Germany. Composed of 4,192 soldiers and authorized in August 1918, the force returned to Canada between April and June 1919. The force was commanded by Major General James H. Elmsley. During this time, the CSEF saw little fighting, with fewer than 100 troops proceeding "up country" to Omsk, to serve as administrative staff for 1,500 British troops aiding the anti-Bolshevik White Russian government of Admiral Alexander Kolchak. Most Canadians remained in Vladivostok, undertaking routine drill and policing duties in the volatile port city. The note accompanying the box is inscribed in handwritten blue ink "Dad brought this box back when he went to Siberia (with Siberian Expeditionary Force) (1919). Badges of different regiments", with the badges no longer present in the box.