August 1 Medal

The August 1 Medal is the highest military medal of the People's Republic of China bestowed on military personnel of China. The bestowal is decided by the Central Military Commission and presented by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. According to law, this medal is awarded to "military personnel who have made great contributions and established outstanding meritorious service in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and promoting the modernization of national defense and the military, and have had a profound impact on the country and the entire military." It is awarded every five years.

History
The August 1 Medal was originally established in 1955 as the highest military award for members of the PLA who served during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War. On 12 June 2017, with the approval of Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Order of August the First was re-established.

2017
On 28 July 2017, Xi Jinping awarded the decoration to ten recipients:
 * Mai Xiande (麦贤得)
 * Ma Weiming (马伟明), led the development of China's electromagnetic catapult system for launching aircraft from carriers
 * Li Zhonghua (李中华)
 * Wang Zhongxin (王忠心)
 * Jing Haipeng (景海鹏), first Chinese astronaut to fly in space more than once
 * Cheng Kaijia (程开甲), nuclear engineer and key figure in Chinese nuclear weapon development
 * Wei Changjin (韦昌进)
 * Wang Gang (王刚)
 * Leng Pengfei (冷鹏飞)
 * Yin Chunrong (印春荣)

2022
On 27 July 2022, Xi Jinping signs order to confer Medal on three military individuals:
 * Du Fuguo (杜富国), sergeant in the PLA Southern Theater Command
 * Qian Qihu (钱七虎), retired researcher at the former PLA University of Science and Technology
 * Nie Haisheng (聂海胜), renowned astronaut from the PLA Astronaut Division