During China’s Tang Dynasty, government officials of the fifth rank or higher were required to carry a badge such as this, which had to be shown whenever they entered or exited the palace or attempted to mobilize military resources. Such badges were split in half, with the official keeping one half and the emperor keeping the other. This particular badge is inscribed with eight characters: “左驍衛將軍 聶利計.” The last character—計—frequently appeared in the names of Mohe people of ancient Manchuria. Hence, this badge may have belonged to a Mohe citizen who attained a high-ranking post in the Tang government, but it might also have belonged to an official from Balhae, which modeled its government structure after that of Tang.