China, Republic. A Chinese Kuomintang Army Officer's Dagger, C. 1944

Measuring 400 mm in length with the enameled scabbard on, nickel-plated steel blade, magnetic, fuller in the middle of the blade on both sides, exhibiting scattered surface wear, with the blade measuring 250 mm in length. With a steel crossguard and ferrule, the latter held in place by a screw on the reverse, pitting evident on the reverse of the crossguard, the handle in faux tortoise shell and wrapped in rows of twisted wire, and enamels over the hilt, bronze plates on either side illustrating plum blossoms flanking the Republican sun insignia with crossed flags of the Kuomintang and the Republic at the pommel end, a Republic sun insignia on the pommel's cap. The enameled scabbard with a silvered steel body, magnetic, the u-shaped finial, locket and throat in bronze, both illustrating the Republican sun insignia on both sides and incorporating ornate half-moon shaped patterns. With missing and cracked enamels, very fine condition.

Footnote: The Kuomintang is a Chinese political party that ruled China from 1927 to 1948 and then moved to Taiwan. The name translates as "China's National People's Party" and was historically referred to as the Chinese Nationalists. The Party was initially founded on August 25, 1912, by Sun Yat-sen but dissolved in November 1913. It reformed on October 10th 1919, again led by Sun Yat-sen, and became the ruling party in China. After Sun's death, the party was dominated from 1927 to 1975 by Chiang Kai-shek. Though the KMT lost the civil war with the Communist Party of China in 1949, the party took control of Taiwan and remains a major political party of the Republic of China based in Taiwan.