November 2011

The Huainanzi and Vietnamese Coins

November 29, 2011
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The huainanzi (淮南子), variously translated as “The Masters of Huainan”, “The Huainan Philosophers” and “The Book of the Master of Huainan”, is an ancient Chinese philosophical work on the proper way for a monarch to govern. The huainanzi also records some of China’s most ancient myths and stories including “Nu Wa Repairs the Sky” (nu [...]

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Ancient Chinese Mirrors Donated To Shanghai Museum

November 14, 2011
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An outstanding private collection of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors owned by Lloyd Cotsen is being donated to the Shanghai Museum according to press releases issued in China and by The Huntington in San Marino, California. Lloyd Cotsen, a successful American entrepreneur and noted philanthropist, began collecting ancient Chinese mirrors in the 1950′s after being exposed [...]

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Ancient Coins Discovered in Golden Horse River

November 12, 2011
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More than 100 local villagers were seen busily overturning rocks in a small flood plain area of Sichuan Province’s “Golden Horse River” (金马河) once word spread that a large number of ancient Chinese coins had been discovered, according to a report by the Sichuan News Network (四川新闻网). Villagers of the Wenjiang District (温江区) of Chengdu [...]

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China’s Biggest Ancient Coin

November 3, 2011
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The official New China News Agency (新华社) revealed in 1997 that Chinese archaeologists working in the southwestern province of Yunnan had unearthed a huge Ming Dynasty coin which was described as the largest and heaviest ancient Chinese coin ever found. The coin was cast during the reign of Emperor Shi Zong (1522-1567) to commemorate the [...]

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Coffin Contains Coin Instead of Corpse

November 2, 2011
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An article in the Suqian Evening News (宿迁晚报) reported an unusual discovery.  Chinese archaeologists excavating a multiple tomb site in Suqian (宿迁), a city in northern Jiangsu Province (江苏), unearthed a coffin with no corpse.  The only thing inside the casket was a coin. Most of the tombs being excavated at the site date from [...]

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