Rank Badge with Bats (no insignia)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This rank badge bears no rank insignia, that is, no bird or animal denoting the civil or military rank of the wearer. However, it does have a ring of bats encircling the empty space where the insignia belongs. In China bats were considered an auspicious pattern because the word for "bat" is similar in sound to the word for "happiness".

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art