the order of blue sky and white sun with grand cordon (chinese:青天白日勳章or青天白日勛章) is the republic of china's second highest military award. created in 1929, it is awarded for "outstanding contributions to national security under foreign invasion" and is second only to the order of national glory. the name and the design come from the blue sky with a white sun symbol of the republic of china and the kuomintang.