The Seal of the President of the Republic of China is the exclusive seal of the President of the Republic of China. It is used when the President issues orders according to presidential authority.
The first Seal of the President of the Republic of China was created by Wu Putang, a famous artist from the Xiling Seal Art Society (3). This seal was manufactured by the Foundry of the National Government in 1948. It was used on May 20 of the same year during the inauguration of the first president, Chiang Kai-shek. The seal’s shape is a silver square with a straight handle. The sealing carving of the seal script “President’s Seal” is engraved on the
front. The words “Min Letter No. 1” are engraved on the left side, and the words “May 0,37th Year of the Republic of China” are engraved on the right side (1)(2).
In 1950, this first Seal of the President of the Republic of China followed Kuomintang's retreat to Taiwan. After the Presidential Palace applied to the Central Printing Factory for reissuing the official seal per the “Regulations on Issuing Official Seals, Management and Replacement of Official Seals, and Cancellation of Old Official Seals,” the front corner of the seal was cut off to make the seal invalid on January 4, 1995. Yin Liren, Director of the Second Bureau of the Presidential Palace, initially approved that the discarded seal be sent to the Central Engraving and Printing Plant for remelting and remanufacturing. Afterward, a staff member surnamed Chen from the Presidential Palace informed Academia Historica to rescue the discarded seal
and successfully preserve it. In 1996, it was permanently archived by Academia Historica (4). On January 9, 2019, the Ministry of Culture announced the designation of 27 cultural relics,including the first Seal of the President of the Republic of China, as national treasures (2).