The Chinese Armorial (中 紋 章 籍)
Canada
Artist: Tina Olah
Registered in The Chinese Armorial, May 18, 2013.
Arms: Gules, a five-clawed Chinese dragon Or grasping an escutcheon Or in each of its forepaws, and on a chief Or, three escutcheons Gules in bar.
Crest: On a Chinese medieval warrior's helm with a wreath and mantling Gules and Or, a fenghuang rising Or wearing an Eastern Crown Or and grasping an artist's brush Sable tipped with paint Or in its dexter talon.
Assumed: May 27, 2013
Background and History:
The Chinese Armorial is an online registry of coats of arms borne by persons of Chinese descent or with a close connection to China or the Chinese. It was established on October 25, 2011, by Derwin Mak. Mak had wanted to publish a roll of Chinese arms in the 1990's, but producing an illustrated book was too difficult at the time; desktop publishing tools were still primitive then. However, later advances in graphics and web publishing tools and the internet created the possibility of an online armorial.
Derwin Mak designed The Chinese Armorial's coat of arms. The artist Tina Olah provided suggestions and advice on how to render the coat of arms.
The colours red and gold are the traditional colours of China.
The Chinese dragon is a traditional animal of China. Upon the suggestion of armiger Edward Ploysongsang, the dragon is coiled into an "S" shape to better fill the shield.
The fenghuang is another traditional animal of China. The fenghuang carries an artist's brush to symbolize the art of heraldry. The fenghuang wears an Eastern Crown, a British heraldic symbol of service in Asia.
The escutcheons in the chief are arranged in a horizontal row as if they were on a traditional roll of arms.
There are five claws on the each paw of the dragon, and there are five escutcheons on the shield (three in the chief and two held by the dragon). Five is a lucky number that recurs in Chinese culture: Chinese philosophy has five elements (water, fire, earth, wood, metal); the Imperial dragon has five claws on each paw; Tiananmen Gate has five arches; the first flag of the Republic of China has five stripes; the flag of the People's Republic has five stars; and the plum blossom symbol of the Republic of China on Taiwan and the bauhinia symbol of Hong Kong both have five petals.
The helmet is that of a Chinese warrior. This style of helmet was also used by various East Asian cultures, including the Tibetans and Mongols.