A string of cash was divided into ten sections of 100 cash each. A tael of pure silver in sycee form traded for a fluctuating price of approximately 1000 cash. The number of coins in a string of cash ( simplified Chinese: 一贯钱 traditional Chinese: 一貫錢 pinyin: yīguànqián) varied over time and place but was nominally 1000. The hole enabled the coins to be strung together to create higher denominations, as was frequently done due to the coin's low value. The body of these early round coins was called their 'flesh' (肉) and the central hole was known as 'the good' (好). It is commonly believed that the early round coins of the Warring States period resembled the ancient jade circles (璧環) which symbolised the supposed round shape of the sky, while the centre hole in this analogy is said to represent the planet earth (天圓地方). The early Ban Liang cash coins were said to have been made in the shape of wheels like how other Ancient Chinese forms of coinage were based on agricultural tools. Main articles: Ban Liang, Han dynasty coinage, Wu Zhu, and Xin dynasty coinageĪs standard circular coins were developed following the unification of China by Qin Shi Huang, the most common formation was the round-shaped copper coin with a square or circular hole in the center, the prototypical cash. Currencies based on the Chinese cash coins include the Japanese mon, Korean mun, Ryukyuan mon, and Vietnamese văn. They hold a place in various traditional Chinese techniques, such as Yijing divination, as well as traditional Chinese medicine, and feng shui. In the modern era, these coins are considered to be Chinese “good luck coins” they are hung on strings and round the necks of children, or over the beds of sick people. As the cash coins produced over Chinese history were similar, thousand year old cash coins produced during the Northern Song dynasty continued to circulate as valid currency well into the early twentieth century. During most of their production, cash coins were cast, but during the late Qing dynasty, machine-struck cash coins began to be made. Rare silver and gold cash coins were also produced. Generally most cash coins were made from copper or bronze alloys, with iron, lead, and zinc coins occasionally used less often throughout Chinese history. The last Chinese cash coins were cast in the first year of the Republic of China. Originally cast during the Warring States period, these coins continued to be used for the entirety of Imperial China. The cash or qian was a type of coin of China and the Sinosphere, used from the 4th century BC until the 20th century AD, characterised by their round outer shape and a square center hole ( Chinese: 方穿 pinyin: fāng chuān Jyutping: fong1 cyun1 Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hong-chhoan). Replicas of various ancient to 19th century cast cash coins in various metals found in China, Korea and Japan.

Chinese coins 10