Interior of Southern Dynasty brick tomb discovered in Xiangyang City.
A video broadcast by Hubei TV (HBTV 湖北网台) on August 13, 2013 reports that a tomb dating from the Southern Dynasties was recently unearthed at a construction site in the city of Xiangyang (襄阳).
The discovery is considered remarkable because many of the bricks used in the construction of the tomb display the design of a Chinese cash coin.
Other bricks identify the family name of the owner, the craftsman who made the bricks, and the year the tomb was built.
The television broadcast in Chinese may be viewed here.
The reporter interviews Mr. Liang Chao (梁超) who is an archaeologist with the Xiangyang Archaeology Institute (襄阳市考古研究所). The tomb was discovered in June of this year.
The tomb includes many bricks with a Chinese cash coin design.
As can be seen in the video broadcast, many of the tomb bricks display a circle with a square in the middle which is universally recognized as representing a traditional Chinese cash coin.
(Bricks with a Chinese cash coin design have also been discovered in ancient city walls as discussed in this article.)
No artifacts were discovered in the tomb which means tomb robbers had looted the tomb at sometime in the distant past.
Nevertheless, the tomb still reveals important information from a historical period which was marked by almost constant warfare.
Close-up of tomb bricks with Chinese coin design.
Mr. Liang explains that a tomb with so many bricks having a coin design must have belonged to a member of the nobility.
In addition to the bricks with the coin design, a number of other tomb bricks display the Chinese character wang (王).
Even though “Wang” (王) is a common Chinese surname, Mr. Liang does not believe that the tomb owner was named Wang.
Tomb bricks with Chinese character “wang” (王) believed to be the logo of the brickmaker.
Mr. Liang says that the character wang was probably the “logo” of the craftsman who made the bricks for the tomb.
Perhaps this was a famous brand of tomb bricks at the time.
The identity of the tomb owner is not completely unknown, however.
Tomb brick identifies the tomb owner as “Zong from Nanyang”.
Two other bricks display the inscription nanyang zong (南阳宗) which translates as “Zong from Nanyang”.
Nanyang (南阳) was a city in Henan during this period. Zong (宗) would be the family name of the tomb owner.
In addition to having bricks that identify the family name of the tomb owner, another brick provides the date of the tomb.
The inscription on this brick reads song da ming wu nian zao (宋大明五年造). This translates as “Built in the 5th year of the Da Ming reign of the State of Song”. “Da Ming” (大明) was the reign title of Emperor Xiaowu of Liu Song (刘宋孝武帝). The fifth year (五年) of his reign would be the year 461.
Tomb brick dating the tomb to the year 461 and the Liu Song Dynasty.
Historical records portray Emperor Xiaowu as a cruel and sexually immoral ruler.
However, Emperor Xiaowu is familiar to Chinese coin collectors for another reason. It was during his reign that coins known as “Xiaojian (period) Four Zhu” (孝建四铢) were issued. These coins have the inscription xiao jian (孝建), representing his Xiao Jian reign, on the obverse and the denomination si zhu (四铢 “four zhu“) on the reverse.
The tomb can therefore be positively dated to the year 461 and that it contained the remains of a nobleman with the surname Zong who came from Nanyang.
Mr. Liang further explains that because of the constant warfare, Mr. Zong probably fled to Xiangyang for safety and it was here where he eventually died.
Because of the turmoil of the times, there is a lack of historical records from the Southern Dynasties period. Mr. Liang emphasizes the importance of the discovery of this tomb because it can be positively dated and identified.
Because of its importance and the interesting design of the tomb bricks, the tomb will be dismantled and moved to a museum.
“Chinese Pictures: Notes on Photographs” written by famous British explorer Isabella Bird
Isabella Lucy Bird was a famous English explorer, writer and photographer who traveled the world in the late 1800’s.
She visited China and documented her adventures in a book entitled “Chinese Pictures: Notes on Photographs” written under her married name of Mrs. J.F. Bishop and published by Charles L. Bowman & Co. in the year 1900.
Photograph of a man carrying cash coins during the Qing Dynasty
At the left is the photograph which has been cropped to better show a man carrying cash coins.
Isabella Bird wrote the following in describing the photograph:
“In travelling, the carriage of money is a great annoyance, owing to the smallness of its value and the large number of coins or “cash” necessary to make up an amount of any size.
“Exchanging eighteen shillings English for brass cash, the weight of them amounted to seventy-two pounds, which had to be carried by the coolies.
“These cash have a square hole in the middle, and are strung together upon a piece of straw twist. Should the straw break, the loss of time in getting up the pieces is much more than the loss of the money.
“The Chinese are honest, very keen at a bargain, but when the bargain is made the Chinaman may be depended on to keep it.”
As a collector, I was aware of how these cash coins were strung together and carried.
This rare photograph, however, captures the reality of such a moment from about 115 years ago.
It strengthens the ties to the ancient past and provokes a sense of wonder as to how the cash coins I now hold in my hand played a role in the daily lives of common people who lived so long ago when China was still ruled by emperors.
The Shui (Sui) are descendants of the ancient Baiyue (百越) who lived in the area of southern China and northern Vietnam beginning in the first millennium BC.
“Shui” (水) actually means “water”. The Shui people tend to live near rivers and streams and much of their customs and folklore revolves around water.
They are primarily engaged in rice farming but fish also play an important role in their diet and lives.
The ancient ‘Shui Shu” pictographic script resembles the symbols used on oracle bones
While they now use Chinese as their written language, they have a rich cultural heritage that includes an ancient written language known as “Shui Shu” (水书) or “Shui Scripts”.
Shui Shu uses pictographs which are similar to the characters (jiaguwen 甲骨文) found on the ancient oracle bones from the Shang Dynasty and the characters (jinwen 金文) on ancient ritual bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
The obverse and reverse sides of the coin, which are almost identical, are shown at the bottom with rubbings at the top.
According to Mr. Pan Chaolin (潘朝霖), who is a researcher at the Guizhou University for Nationalities (贵州民族学院), the inscription written in Chinese characters at the left and right of the square hole reads da zhong (大中).
“Da zhong” refers to one of the reign titles of Emperor Zhen Zong (998-1022 AD) of the Northern Song Dynasty. The dazhong xiangfu (大中祥符) era was the period 1008-1016 AD.
What is particularly interesting, however, are the other symbols on the coin.
Above the square hole in the rubbing on the left, a man can be seen with his arm extended backwards leading an ox.
In the rubbing on the right, a man can be seen above the square hole pulling a “rake” (ba 耙) which is an ancient type of plough.
In Shui Shu, according to Mr. Pan, a symbol resembling the head of the water ox represents wealth.
Similarly, the symbol of the “rake” (耙) also represents wealth because it was an important agricultural tool.
Therefore, using the ox and plough on the coin clearly symbolize wealth according to Mr. Pan.
The coins of the Shui are clearly distinctive from those of the Han Chinese and this is the case for their charms as well.
This rare charm displays the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac with the 12 Earthly Branches written in Shui Script
However, this particular Shui version of the charm is the only specimen known to exist.
As seen here, the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are shown near the outer rim.
While Chinese versions of the charm have the names of the Twelve Earthly Branches (十二地支) written in Chinese characters around the center hole, you will notice that the names on this charm are written in Shui Shu.
The obverse side of the Shui charm shows a male dragon and a female dragon
The obverse side of the charm displays two dragons.
The story being told is of a fish transforming into a dragon.
As already mentioned, the fish is an important part of the lives and cultural heritage of the Shui.
Like the ox and rake, fish represent prosperity and also symbolize the ancestors of the Shui people.
(In Chinese myth, a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate becomes a dragon.)
If you look carefully, you will see a fish near the outer rim at about the 10 o’clock position.
At the 5 o’clock position near the rim can be seen a pearl.
The two dragon design is frequently seen on old Chinese charms. However, there is a major difference in the way the dragons on this charm are illustrated in comparison with those found on Chinese charms.
Unlike Chinese charms, there is clearly one male and one female dragon on this Shui charm.
The dragon at the upper right is the female.
The dragon which is upside down at the lower left is the male. The tail of the male dragon makes a curve towards the outside rim at about the 9 o’clock position. Just before the tail hooks towards the outside rim, you will observe that there is an appendage that extends towards the inner hole.
This “appendage” is the male genitals (生殖器).
The female dragon, of course, lacks this feature.
Incidentally, this type of dragon is colloquially known as a “cock dragon” (鸡巴龙) because the shape of the head is similar to that of a chicken.
Curiously enough, this depiction of the male dragon is not unique to the Shui but is also found on charms from other ethnic minority groups from the same geographic area.
An old ‘double dragon’ charm from the Qiannan area of Guizhou Province
In this view, the male dragon is on the right and the female is upside down on the left. The pearl is at the top of the charm and the fish is at the bottom.
As is the case with the Shui charm, the genitals of the male dragon can be seen just below the round hole.
Depicting both male and female dragons is an important difference between the Shui and Chinese charms.
However, another major difference has to do with the area surrounding the dragons.
On the Shui charm this background area is filled with small protruding “dots”.
This characteristic is similar to the design found on ancient Chinese bronzes. Archaeologists refer to these “dots” as “nipples” (乳丁) because of the similarity to the nipple of the female breast.
The “stars” in the heavens are in high relief
When the charm is viewed at an angle, as shown at the left, it can be clearly seen that the “nipples” are in high relief.
(The difference between the male and female dragons is also more obvious in this view.)
Even the charm from the neighboring Qiannan area does not have this star background.
Such an immense star-studded field is appropriate for the theme of this charm.
Once a fish transforms itself into a dragon, it has the ability to “mount the clouds and ride the mists” (腾云驾雾) and “call for the wind and rain” (呼风唤雨).
The dragon reigns supreme among all the spirits. But because the transformation begins with the fish, the fish is also considered to be a spirit.
Even today there are areas of China where the local people are afraid of provoking fish, and would never fry one in a wok, because they consider fish to be spirits.
This coin and charm are rare treasures that provide insight into the very ancient cultural heritage of the Shui people.
The mystique and rarity surrounding the “three hole spade” (san kong bu 三孔布) is such that many Chinese coin collectors consider it to be “the king of ancient coins”.
Even though catalogs of ancient Chinese coins have existed for almost 900 years, “three hole spades” from the Warring States period (475-221 BC) are so rare that their existence was essentially unknown until about 200 years ago.
Rare ‘three hole spade’ minted at Yang Jian in the State of Zhao during the Warring States period
The shape of the three hole spade is based on an ancient farming implement similar to a shovel. The three holes distinguish it from similar forms of spade money of the time.
The three hole spade shown here was sold on April 23, 2013 at an online auction (华夏古泉网) for approximately US$402,675 (RMB 2,475,000).
Three hole spades have the name of the city where they were cast inscribed on their obverse side.
Also found were some shao xing yuan bao (绍兴元宝) coins cast during the period 1131-1162 of the reign of Emperor Gao Zong (1127-1162) of the Southern Song Dynasty.
While coins from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) were also recovered, the newspaper article does not provide additional details.
According to the archaeologists, this is the largest cache of ancient bronze coins ever discovered in Dingxi City.
Tang Dynasty ‘kai yuan tong bao’ coin unearthed in Anhui
The more than 500 pounds (500余斤) of coins was discovered about one meter below the surface and includes coins with the inscription kai yuan tong bao (开元通宝) which were first minted during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The coins were found stacked in a very orderly manner. The archaeologists speculate that most of the coins would have been threaded together on strings and then neatly arranged.
However, the strings have long since rotted away and many of the coins are now corroded together.
The news reports state that the coins probably belonged to a rich family of the Northern Song that wanted to hide the money from robbers or during a time of unrest.
Why would a Ming Dynasty tomb contain coins only from the Song Dynasty?
This was the question faced by archaeologists excavating a tomb in Longshan Village (龙山村) according to an article published in the May 6, 2013 edition of the Pengcheng Daily (彭城晚报).
The extraordinary interior paintings of the Ming Dynasty tomb discovered in Longshan Village
The brick tomb was discovered near Xuzhou (徐州), Jiangsu Province (江苏省) in March of this year.
The tomb is considered remarkable because of the exquisite paintings on the entrance and in the coffin chamber.
As can be seen here, the paintings remain vivid even after being sealed underground for more than 400 years.
The tomb contains the skulls of two people who the archaeologists believe were a married couple. The wooden caskets have completely decayed and only some coffin nails can be found on the floor.
The tomb can be dated to the Ming Dynasty. Written clearly above the door of the coffin chamber is wan li er shi san nian si yue wang ri (万历二十三年四月望日) which translates as the “15th day of the 4th (lunar) month of the 23rd year of Wanli”.
This would date the tomb to the year 1595 during the reign of the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
As can be seen in the image above, the coffin chamber is built to resemble a traditional Chinese courtyard.
If you look carefully, you will see that there are a number of roof tiles on the floor. Since the ceiling of the chamber is in the shape of a dome, the archaeologists were puzzled as to why there would even be roof tiles. Also, none of the tiles are damaged so it is not likely that they could have fallen down.
The experts now believe that the tiles were never attached to the ceiling but were in fact placed on top of the caskets in accordance with a local funeral custom of the time.
Only Song Dynasty coins have been found in this Ming Dynasty tomb
As seen in the image at the left, “several tens” of Chinese cash coins have been discovered on the floor on the left side of the coffin chamber. The newspaper article mentions that the room had been “disturbed” so it is unclear if this was the original location of the coins.
The archaeologists now believe that, according to burial customs of the time, the coins were most likely placed underneath the corpse or in some other part of the wooden casket.
Cultural relics experts have identified the coins as being from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The Song Dynasty was followed by the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and then the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Song Dynasty ‘xi ning zhong bao’ and ‘yuan feng tong bao’ coins
The inscriptions on these coins have auspicious meanings. “Xi ning” (熙宁) means “peaceful prosperity” and “yuan feng” (元丰) translates as “primary abundance”.
The tomb can be very accurately dated to the Ming Dynasty yet there are no coins from that time period.
Coins are usually a fairly reliable way to date a tomb but not in this case.
The archaeologists believe that “unless the deceased were Buddhists or coin collectors”, the answer to this puzzling question must have to do with another burial custom of the time.
Since very ancient times, the Chinese have believed that certain coins have charm characteristics that can can bring good luck and provide protection from evil spirits.
The archaeologists give a couple of modern examples.
One example is a certain coin sometimes found buried in tombs dating from the early 1900’s. This coin is a Chinese silver dollar with the portrait of Yuan Shikai (袁世凯) and is colloquially referred to as a yuan da tou (袁大头) or “Yuan Big Head”. (Please see “Coffin Contains Coin Instead of Corpse“).
Numismatists outside of China usually refer to this coin with the unflattering term “Fatman” dollar.
Another example would be the so-called “Five Emperor Coins” (五帝钱). This refers to a set of coins from the first five emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
China was powerful and prosperous under the reign of these emperors and many contemporary Chinese believe that their coins have the power to ensure prosperity and protection from evil spirits.
The term “Five Emperors” also alludes to the highly revered mythological rulers of ancient China known as the “Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors“.
顺治通宝 (shun zhi tong bao) cast during the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor. “Shunzhi” translates as “to rule smoothly”.
康熙通宝 (kang xi tong bao) cast during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor. “Kangxi” translates as “healthy and prosperous”.
雍正通宝 (yong zheng tong bao) cast during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor. “Yongzheng” translates as “harmony and upright”.
乾隆通宝 (qian long tong bao) cast during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The “qian” (乾) has exactly the same pronunciation as the word “qian” (钱) meaning “money”.
嘉庆通宝 (jia qing tong bao) cast during the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor. “Jiaqing” translates as “good and celebrate”.
Just as contemporary Chinese believe in the powers of the “Five Emperor Coins” and the “Yuan Big Head” coin, the archaeologists feel the people of the Ming Dynasty may have held a similar belief in certain coins from the Song Dynasty.
As can be seen, the paintings in this tomb are exquisite. In order to protect the paintings and ensure that the colors do not fade, the archaeologists have installed four instruments to monitor humidity levels in the tomb during the excavation and preservation phases of their work.
The final phase of their work, however, is to use the most advanced technology possible to remove the entire tomb and move it to the Suining County Museum (睢宁县博物馆).
A villager in Pingquan County (平泉县), Hebei Province (河北省) accidentally discovered a buried clay pot containing about 600 specimens of knife money from the Warring States Period (475 BC -221 BC), according to a dispatch from the China News (中新网) dated May 3, 2013.
Knife money from the ancient State of Yan being unearthed in Hebei
Mr. Wang Yongtie (王永铁), the village chief of Guangxingdian Village (广兴店村), explained that a resident of the village, Mr. Liu Jiafu (刘佳富), discovered the buried money while digging a ditch.
In the image at the left, some of the knives can be seen in the archaeologist’s left hand as he removes the artifacts from the clay pot.
Example of a “ming” knife from the State of Yan
Mr. Wang stated that this is the first time this type of cultural artifact has ever been discovered in the village.
The ming knives were discovered buried in this clay pot
About 600 knives were recovered according to Mr. Chang Wen (常文) who works at the Cultural Relics Protection Bureau of Pingquan County (平泉县问保所).
The knives all have a Chinese character inscribed on them which traditionally has been interpreted to be ming (明).
Although there are other interpretations for this character, this ancient form of money continues to be referred to as “ming knife money”.
Archaeologists have unearthed more than 3,000 coins dating from the Tang Dynasty in the ancient Silk Road city of Kucha (库车县) located in China’s far western region of Xinjiang (新疆维吾尔自治区).*
“Kai yuan tong bao” coin unearthed in ancient “Silk Road” city of Kucha
The China News (中新网), in an article published on April 25, 2013, reports that the Kucha Bureau of Cultural Relics (库车县文物局) was informed of the discovery at a construction site on April 23rd.
A team of archaeologists was dispatched and more than 3,000 coins were recovered.
At the time the report was filed on April 24th, the site was being managed by staff of the Kucha Bureau of Cultural Relics and the Qiuci Bureau of Public Security (龟兹公安分局) and coins were continuing to be dug up.
More than 3,000 Tang Dynasty coins were recovered
Ms. Yin Qiuling (尹秋玲), a cadre with the Kucha Bureau of Cultural Relics, informed the reporter that all the coins have the inscription kai yuan tong bao (开元通宝) and were cast during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) more than 1,300 years ago.
She added that although the coins had been buried for more than a thousand years and had acquired a patina, the inscriptions could still be clearly read.
The coins were found scattered in an area 10 meters long by 5 meters wide.
Ms. Yin stated that Qiuci (Kucha) was an ancient Buddhist kingdom on the ancient Silk Road and that this discovery of such a large number of Tang Dynasty coins is important to the research of the economic, political and historical relationship between Qiuci and Tang Dynasty China.
*Update as of May 2, 2013: News agencies are now reporting that the number of ‘kai yuan tong bao’ coins unearthed is nearly 10,000!
Buried “mountain” of Song Dynasty iron coins seen in field near Cangzhou
The People’s Daily (人民日报) on May 20, 2000 announced that Chinese archaeologists had unearthed a “mountain” of ancient Chinese coins in a field near the city of Cangzhou (沧州) in China’s northern province of Hebei (河北省).
The initial discovery of the buried coins actually dates to 1997.
The coins were made of iron and were stuck together in very large and heavy pieces. Closer examination revealed that the coins were cast during the Song Dynasty (宋朝 960-1279).
But what startled the archaeologists most was the huge number. They initially dug up about 48 tons of the coins.
Tieqian Ku in Cangzhou where the Song Dynasty iron coins are on display
The largest single chunk of coins weighs about 7 tons.
Moreover, it is estimated that an additional 50 tons of the coins are still buried in the ground.
The total find is thus estimated to be about 100 tons.
The archaeologists also discovered that the iron coins had not simply rusted together but showed clear signs of having been melted together.
Why such a large quantity of Song Dynasty iron coins were buried in the area and why they had apparently been melted together in large chunks is a mystery which to this day remains unsolved.
Large chunks of the unearthed iron coins on display
An article in the April 4, 2013 edition of the China Culture Journal (中国文化报) has renewed attention to this discovery and provides some insight into current theories to explain the mystery.
The coins are now displayed at the Tieqian Ku (“Iron Coin Treasury” 铁钱库) in Cangzhou.
According to Ms. Wang Yufang (王玉芳), the Director of the Cangzhou City Bureau of Cultural Relics (沧州市文物局), no historical documents mention the existence of this unusual coin cache.
Larger pieces of fused iron coins on display at the Tieqian Ku in Cangzhou
Ms. Wang says that experts have proposed three possible theories to explain the mystery.
One theory is that the field where the coins were discovered was the site of a Song Dynasty mint.
However, other experts refute this theory because this area of China was a frontier region during the Song Dynasty and the authorities would not have built a mint in such a remote border area.
Ms. Wang proposes a second possible explanation for the find.
In ancient times, Chinese cash coins were typically carried by threading the coins together on a cord or string. A standard unit of 1,000 coins on a string was called a guan (贯).
Some of the Song Dynasty iron coins that were melted together
Close examination of the massive iron coin chunks reveal that the coins were first neatly stacked in rows of guan. There is also clear evidence that the coins were then exposed to fire and melted together.
According to this theory, the coins were transported from other locations to this site in order to be melted down and destroyed.
This very large mass of iron coins was too heavy to be placed in the exhibition hall
Other experts, however, reject this proposition. They say there would not have been any necessity to move such a large quantity of coins to this single location to be destroyed. Also, the effort and expense to do so would not have been worthwhile.
Ms. Wang says that there is a third theory to explain the existence of the huge iron pieces composed of Song Dynasty coins. This theory takes into account the historical background of the times.
The area now known as Hebei was considered the northern border of China during the Tang Dynasty. With the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in 907 AD, the area became divided among several regimes during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (五代十国 907-960). The area was not reunited until the reign (923-926) of Emperor Zhuangzong (庄宗) of the Later Tang Dynasty (后唐).
Map showing the Sixteen Prefectures in yellow.The Liao Dynasty is to the north (dark grey) and the Northern Song is to the south (light grey).
What is pertinent to this discussion is that during the Song Dynasty there was much contention for this sixteen prefecture area between Song China and the Liao Dynasty. During the Southern Song, all of this northern region of present day Hebei was abandoned and fell under the rule of the Jin Dynasty (金朝 1115-1234) ruled by the Jurchen (女真).
The third theory takes into consideration the historical reality of the time to explain the existence of the massive chunks of Song Dynasty coins. The iron coins were sent to the area in order to pay for the expenses of the Song army contending for control of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.
The forces of the Song were eventually defeated. Forced to withdraw from the area, the Song army was faced with having to transport a huge quantity of iron coins. Since transport would have been difficult, and given the necessity for a hasty retreat, the decision was made to abandon the money.
To prevent the money from falling into the hands of the enemy, however, the coins were partially melted down.
According to Ms. Wang, all three theories seem reasonable although many experts are now leaning towards the third theory. She says additional research and discoveries will need to take place before the mystery of the 100 tons of melted Song Dynasty iron coins is fully explained.
It should be noted that the quantity of coins may actually exceed 100 tons. The newspaper articles referenced above do not mention that, since the initial discovery, even more chunks of partially melted Song Dynasty iron coins have been unearthed in the area. Please see “Tons of Song Dynasty Iron Coins Discovered” for coverage of this more recent find.
The ancient town of Ciqikou (磁器口) is part of the municipality of Chongqing (重庆) located in Southwest China.
Ciqikou actually translates as “Porcelain Port” and the town gained prominence during the Ming Dynasty as a prosperous commercial port located on the Jialing River.
Chongqing residents playing mahjong on the Jialing River
The Jialing River (嘉陵江) is a popular spot for the residents of Ciqikou and Chongqing to relax in the outdoors.
There are open-air tea houses located on the banks of the river. People like to sit under umbrellas and play mahjong (麻将). Young couples can be seen strolling along the river banks.
Chinese coin kite
Children enjoy flying kites in the large open spaces.
Due to recent drought conditions, however, the water level of the Jialing River has dropped to such an extent that large portions of the riverbed are now dry and fully exposed.
The bare riverbed has provided the rare opportunity for residents to partake in a new outdoor activity — digging for “treasure” (淘宝).
In this case, the “treasure” refers to old Chinese coins.
Over the centuries, a number of river boats suffered misfortune and sank to the bottom. Some of their treasures, including coins which had been hidden underwater, can now be found scattered among the rocks and mud of the riverbed.
Digging for Chinese coins in the dry Jialing River
Most of the coins being found date from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the early years of the Republic.
Old coins and ammunition dug up from the riverbed
As can be seen in the photos, treasure diggers have been able to recover some of the heretofore buried treasure.
While searching for old Chinese coins in a dry riverbed would seem to be a fairly safe activity, the activity in this case is fraught with danger.
This area of the river not only has old Chinese coins but also a large quantity of buried munitions including rifle rounds, grenades, artillery shells and bombs.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), Chongqing served as the provisional capital of the Republic of China under the leadership of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.
During this time, Chongqing suffered extensively from aerial attacks by Japanese forces. A very large number of bombs dropped by Japanese planes, but which did not explode, are now being exposed after lying under the waters of the Jialing River for so many years.
This same area also saw fighting between the Communist and Nationalist forces during the Chinese Civil War (1927-1950) and large quantities of grenades, artillery shells and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) are buried in the river.
Unfortunately, many people seem to be unaware of the hidden danger in digging for coins in the river.
Local police using a handheld metal detector easily found buried ordnance
According to a recent report, the local police decided to give a demonstration on just how dangerous digging for treasure in the river can be.
As can be seen in the picture at the left, the police officers using a small handheld metal detector were quickly able to locate some hidden explosive materials.
Old hand grenade and mortar round dug up from the riverbed
In just 30 minutes they found a hand grenade and a mortar round.
The police also reported that on the same day a “treasure digger” discovered an unexploded 80 kg bomb buried in the riverbed.
According to the police, these munitions still have the ability to explode and cause massive injury and destruction.
In an attempt to convince the treasure hunters not to dig in the river, the local police explained that it would be very difficult to find any large quantity of old Chinese coins at this time. With the passage of time, the treasures of the ancient shipwrecks have either been washed away or are buried deep underground.
The police also posted a sign urging people not to dig for coins because of the potential danger from the undetonated ordnance and also because any found “treasure” would rightfully belong to the state according to law.
But despite the demonstration and the warning about the hidden explosives, people continue to dig in the river searching for old Chinese coins.
Scientists have discovered a Ming Dynasty coin in Kenya that “proves China was trading with East Africa BEFORE Europeans arrived”, according to a recent newspaper article. The report, which was carried by newspapers around the world, claims that the coin provides evidence that the famous Chinese Admiral Zheng He reached East Africa years before the European explorers.
Ming Dynasty yongle tongbao coin discovered in East Africa
A joint expedition led by Chapurukha Kusimba of The Field Museum in Chicago, and Sloan Williams from the University of Illinois at Chicago, found the 600 year-old Ming Dynasty coin on the island of Manda which is located off of Kenya’s northern coast.
The coin, shown at the left, has the inscription yongle tongbao (永乐通宝) and was cast during the reign (1402-1424) of the Yongle Emperor, also known as Emperor Chengzu (成祖), of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Zheng He was a eunuch who became China’s most famous maritime explorer.
According to Dr. Kusimba, the curator of African Anthropology at The Field Museum, “Zheng He was, in many ways, the Christopher Columbus of China”.
During the period 1405-1433, Zheng He led seven major maritime expeditions across the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. He also sailed into the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. His sea travels took him as far west as the east coast of Africa.
Comparative size of the ships of Zheng He and Christopher Columbus
Zheng He’s trade missions must have presented a spectacular sight.
Some of the ships were very large. His fleet consisted of more than 200 ships including about 28,000 men.
These vessels departed Chinese ports carrying not only the yongle tongbao coins, but also silver, gold, silk and blue-and-white porcelain.
While the report emphasized that this coin “may ultimately prove (Zheng He) came to Kenya”, the significant role the yongle tongbao coins played as the international currency of the time was not addressed.
Surprisingly, the traditional Chinese “cash coin” with a square hole in the middle was not the major form of money during the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, the production of cash coins actually ceased in 1393.
Ming Dynasty China relied instead on paper money and silver as the primary forms of money.
The situation changed beginning in 1405 when the Yongle Emperor ordered Zheng He to set sail on the Western Seas in order to expand political, economic and cultural ties with the countries of Southeast and South Asia.
In 1408, the Yongle Emperor ordered that traditional cash coins again be produced. The coins were cast at mints in Beijing, Nanjing, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian. The coins were to carry the inscription yongle tongbao.
It is important to note that the coins were not produced to circulate within the country since China continued to rely on paper money and silver as the dominant forms of currency. The coins were specifically made for use in foreign trade and to be bestowed as rewards.
These coins were minted because many countries in the Orient liked to use the traditional Chinese cash coins as their circulating form of money. The areas included Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. Even today, large quantities of Chinese cash coins are still being unearthed in these countries.
Korea and Vietnam also used Chinese cash coins for a very long period of time and these coins are still being unearthed in these countries with quantities sometimes being several tens of tons.
Japan imported large quantities of Ming Dynasty coins including both yongle tongbao and hongwu tongbao (洪武通宝) coins.
Since the coins were primarily used only for foreign trade, very few yongle tongbao coins are found in archaeological digs within China’s borders. It is not uncommon for buried coin hoards dating from the Ming Dynasty to not include a single yongle tongbao coin.
On the other hand, coin hoards dating from the Ming era unearthed in neighboring countries frequently include yongle tongbao coins.
Such discoveries provide strong evidence that these coins were produced primarily for use in foreign trade.
The newspaper article, however, contains several puzzling statements.
For example, the coin is described as being made of “copper and silver”.
According to a research article entitled “An Investigation of the Using of Brass in Casting Coins in Ancient China” (我国古代黄铜铸钱考略) included in “A Collection of Chinese Numismatic Theses” (中国钱币论文集) published in 1992, an analysis of a number of yongle tongbao coins showed that they were composed of the following metals: copper (Cu) 63-90%, lead (Pb) 10-25%, tin (Sn) 6-9% and zinc (Zn) 0.04-0.18 %.
As can be seen, the coins have no silver content.
Another questionable statement in the newspaper article describes the coin as having “a square hole in the center so that it could be worn on a belt”.
Unless there is some pertinent information missing from the article, this coin was not minted so that it could be worn on a belt.
But despite all the hoopla accompanying the announcement of the discovery, the truth is that this was not the first time a yongle tongbao coin had been found in the area.
Yongle tongbao coin unearthed by Kenyan and Chinese archaeologists in Malindi in 2010
The BBC reported in 2010, more than two years earlier, that a yongle tongbao coin had been unearthed by a team of Kenyan and Chinese archaeologists at a village just north of Malindi on Kenya’s north coast.
In the BBC article Professor Qin Dashu of Peking University states that “these coins were carried only by envoys of the emperor, Chengzu (Yongle Emperor)”.
The discovery of the coin at Malindi was particularly intriguing because Chinese historical records mention that Zheng He brought back to China a giraffe from Malindi. The Chinese believed that the giraffe was the mythical Chinese qilin known in the West as the “Chinese unicorn”.
Nevertheless, the recent discovery in Kenya of a second yongle tongbao coin provides additional evidence that Zheng He and the Chinese were trading in this part of the world years before Vasco da Gama arrived in Malindi and Kenya in 1497-1498.
It is not by accident that both Chinese coins discovered in Kenya are yongle tongbao coins. The yongle tongbao coin was produced specifically for use in foreign trade and during the early 15th century served as the de facto “international currency” for much of the region.
