What is the "Top Stream Code" that has been used for over 2000 years for circular square hole coins in Dao Zhonghua? Coins | China | Password

The characteristics of the coin system, marked by the "circular square hole", are politically regarded as symbols of Chinese orthodoxy and unique symbols of Chinese culture, becoming an important symbol of cultural identity, political belonging, and self perception of Chinese orthodoxy.

Which dynasty is the most inconvenient for life to travel to? I thought it was pre Qin: cloth coins were used in the Central Plains region, knife coins were circulated in the northern and Shandong regions, and ant nose coins were used in the Chu state... Just calculating the "exchange rate" of these types of coins can burn the CPU dry. So if possible, it would be best to travel back to the time when Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the currency, because from the Qin Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, the shape of the round square hole coin remained unchanged, making it the "top stream" of the millennium long red coin.

In the history of the Chinese nation, as a material carrier of political relations, economic and trade exchanges, and cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups, coins, like rings, record and witness the development process of the "diverse and integrated" Chinese nation.

Recently, "Dao Zhonghua" interviewed Wang Yongsheng, Director of the Research and Information Department of the China Numismatic Museum, to discuss the historical traces of circular square hole coins.

Wang Yongsheng: Coins are one of the earliest civilized elements invented by humans. Coins are not only a medium for commodity exchange, but also a physical witness to the progress of human history. Each coin carries and records information on politics, economy, society, culture, and other aspects. A history of coins is also a history of human evolution and development.

There were four major coin systems in the pre Qin period: firstly, cloth coins originating from bronze agricultural tools, mainly circulated in the Central Plains region centered around Guanzhong, southern Shanxi, and western Henan, corresponding to the agricultural civilization represented by the Yangshao culture; The second is knife coins originated from ancient practical knife cutting, mainly circulating in the northern and Shandong regions of the Yanshan Mountains, the Great Wall region, and corresponding to the hunting civilization represented by the Hongshan culture; The third is the ant nosed coin derived from copper shells, mainly circulating within the sphere of influence of the Chu state and closely related to Chu culture; The fourth is the round coin originated from jade and jade, which initially flourished in the Wei state in the Central Plains region, and later developed and developed into the mainstream form of coins during the Warring States period in the Qin state located in the west.

It can be said that the four major coin systems that originated and developed during the pre Qin period reflect the diversity and "regional types" characteristics of the Chinese nation and early Chinese civilization.

The "Eastern Zhou" flat shoulder empty head cloth is in the collection of the Chinese Numismatic Museum.

The "Big Knife of Anyang" is in the collection of the Chinese Numismatic Museum.

The Ant Nose Coin of Chu State is in the collection of the Chinese Numismatic Museum.

▲ The Chinese Numismatic Museum collects the round coins weighing one, two, and fourteen pearls.

Wang Yongsheng: This change in the shape of the round coin is closely related to the rise of the Qin state and the unification of the six states, as well as the popular cosmology of "round heaven and round earth" and the political ideology of "heavenly mandate and imperial power" at that time.

Round coins were originally round holes and originated from ancient jade bi. Later, it became a square hole due to the influence of jade cong. Jade bi and jade cong are both important ancient ritual vessels. Jade bi is used for worshipping the heavens, while jade cong is used for worshipping the earth. The characteristic of jade cong is that it has both "round" and "square" shapes, with the inner circle symbolizing the sky and the outer side symbolizing the earth. As the saying goes, "Bi Yuan resembles the sky, Cong Fang resembles the earth.". The basic form of the jade cong, which is round on the outside and round on the inside, represents the cosmology of "the sky is round and the place is round".

▲ Collection of Neolithic Liangzhu Culture Jade Bi at Shanghai Museum.

▲ Liangzhu Culture Jade Cong, Hangzhou Liangzhu Museum, Zhejiang.

During the Warring States period, the cosmology of "round sky and round earth" and the political ideology of "heavenly mandate and imperial power" were reflected in coins as "outer circle" symbolizing heavenly mandate, and "inner side" representing imperial power. Wherever coins circulate, it indicates where the imperial power and prestige they represent have spread.

So, the state of Qin imitated the shape of the "outer circle and inner circle" of the jade cong, changed the "round hole" of the round coin to "square hole", and minted "half liang" coins with "outer circle and inner square", becoming the legal currency of the state of Qin.

The Qin Banliang is in the collection of the Chinese Numismatic Museum.

Wang Yongsheng: After King Qin unified the world, in order to establish the legitimacy of being the "emperor" of the "world", it was necessary to use the cosmology of "round sky and round place" to promote the political ideology of "heavenly mandate and imperial power". Therefore, half a tael of coins in the form of "circular square holes" of the Qin state were used to unify the coins of the six states.

Han inherited the Qin system and continued to use half a tael of money. Although Emperor Wu of Han changed the weight of coins from "half liang" to "five baht", he still retained the characteristic shape of "circular square holes". Over the next two thousand years, although there were dynastic changes, the characteristic shape of coins marked by "round square holes" was politically regarded as a symbol of Chinese orthodoxy and a unique symbol of Chinese culture, becoming an important symbol of cultural identity, political belonging, and self recognition of Chinese orthodoxy.

The collection of the Han Wuzhu Chinese Coin Museum.

Wang Yongsheng: For the nomadic ethnic groups who ruled the Central Plains in ancient times, only by gaining the recognition of the people in the Central Plains region can they have the legitimate and legitimate identity to declare themselves emperor and rule the Central Plains. The most direct and straightforward way to achieve this identity transformation is to forge circular square hole coins that contain the cosmology of "round sky and round place" and the political ideology of "heavenly mandate and imperial power".

Let me introduce three coins with stories.

The first coin is "Yongtong Wanguo". This coin was minted during the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Because Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, Tuoba Tao, once proclaimed himself as the "Patriarch of All Nations", and later the Eastern and Western Wei, as well as Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, also claimed to be the "Head of All Nations", coins with the name "Yongtong All Nations" were born. It can be seen that the Xianbei aristocrats, deeply influenced by the Central Plains culture, have already regarded themselves as inheritors of the orthodox Central Kingdom. They believe that they are an advanced China, not a backward barbarian.

The "Yongtong Wanguo" copper coins of the Northern Zhou Dynasty are in the collection of the Chinese Numismatic Museum.

The second coin is "Zhiyuan Tongbao". This coin was minted in the Yuan Dynasty and inherits the tradition of circular square holes established since the Qin and Han dynasties. The obverse inscription uses Kublai Khan's "Zhiyuan" era name and the Chinese character "Zhiyuan Tongbao" is cast. On the back, the pronunciation of the Chinese character "Zhi Zhi Tong Bao" is spelled in the Ba Si Ba script, Wei Wu Er script, and Western Xia script, respectively. This creation not only takes into account the "diversity" of different ethnic languages, but also adheres to the "unity" of circular square holes, vividly reflecting the characteristics of ethnic integration and cultural exchange in the Yuan Dynasty.

The significance of minting the four body script "Zhiyuan Tongbao" coin is significant. It not only reflects that Emperor Yingzong of Yuan Dynasty used the political influence of Emperor Kublai Khan to promote the political concept of "one family under heaven", but also witnessed the important position of the Yuan Dynasty in the formation of a unified multi-ethnic country with "diversity and unity".

The third coin is the Qianlong Treasure. This coin was minted in the Qing Dynasty. After entering the Qing Dynasty, it was common to use Chinese characters for the obverse of square hole round coins, which were given the era name Jiatongbao, and Manchu characters for the reverse. The special feature of this coin is that its circulation area is Xizang. Based on the principle of "following customs and adapting to each occasion", we take into account the traditional silver usage of the Tibetan people. Instead of minting copper coins like in mainland China, we have made silver coins with the Chinese character "Qianlong Treasure" and chronology on the obverse, and the Tibetan character "Qianlong Treasure" and chronology on the reverse. Apart from the text, both sides are printed with auspicious patterns from Tibetan cultural traditions. What is particularly special is that in the center of the front and back of the silver coin, a square frame is specially printed, as if perforated but not fully penetrated. This ingenious design not only reflects the shape characteristics of traditional Chinese coins with round square holes, but also reflects that the Qianlong Treasure. Silver coins are a product of the fusion of multiple ethnic cultures and are an important member of the Chinese coin culture family.

▲ Folk Collection of Silver Coins from the Qianlong Treasure of the Qing Dynasty.

Interviewee profile:

Wang Yongsheng, a researcher, currently serves as the Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Numismatic Society.

Producer | Yang Xinhua

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