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Western Xia coinage

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A Tian Sheng Yuan Bao (天盛元寶) coin issued under Emperor Renzong.

The Western Xia Empire ruled over what what are now the northwestern Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, southwest Inner Mongolia, and southernmost Outer Mongolia from 1032 until 1227 when they were destroyed by the Mongols. The country was established by the Tangut people,[1][2] likewise its earliest coins were escribed with Tangut characters, while later they would be written in Chinese. Opposed to Song dynasty coins that often read top-bottom-right-left, Western Xia coins exclusively read clockwise. Despite the fact that coins had been cast for over a century and a half, very little were actually produced and coins from Western Xia are a rarity today.[3]

Originally from 1053 until 1068 the inscription of coins were exclusively written in the Tangut script, and between 1068 and 1206 coins were cast with both Tangut and Chinese inscriptions, but after 1206 only Chinese characters were used. Compared to Liao dynasty coinage, coins from Western Xia were cast in superior quality, though only bronze and iron coins produced between 1149 and 1193 were cast in high quantities.[4]

After Western Xia was annexed by the Mongols, Tangut inscriptions appeared only on a single Yuan dynasty coin.[5]

List of coins produced by the Western Xia

The coins produced under the Western Xia were cast in either Tangut or Chinese.[6]

Coins with Tangut inscriptions:[7][8][a]

Inscription (Tangut) Inscription (Mandarin) Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese Years of casting Emperor
śjɨj ljo ljɨ̣ dzjɨj (𗼃𗼕𘏨𘔭) Fu Sheng Bao Qian 福聖寶錢 福圣宝钱 1053-1056 Yizong
tha nej ljɨ̣ dzjɨj (𘜶𗵐𘏨𘔭) Da An Bao Qian 大安寶錢 大安宝钱 1074-1084 Huizong
tśhja bio̲ ljɨ̣ dzjɨj (𗣼𘝯𘏨𘔭) Zhen Guan Bao Qian 貞觀寶錢 贞观宝钱 1101-1113 Chongzong
tśhja mji̲ ljɨ̣ dzjɨj (𗣼𘇚𘏨𘔭) Zheng De Bao Qian 正德寶錢 正德宝钱 1127-1134 Chongzong
tshjwu ꞏwu ljɨ̣ dzjɨj (𘀗𘑨𘏨𘔭) Qian You Bao Qian 乾佑寶錢 乾佑宝钱 1170-1193 Renzong
ŋwər ljwu ljɨ̣ dzjɨj (𘓺𘅝𘏨𘔭) Tian Qing Bao Qian 天慶寶錢 天庆宝钱 1194-1206 Huanzong

Coins with Chinese inscriptions:

Inscription Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese Script Years of casting Emperor
Da An Tong Bao 大安通寶 大安通宝 Clerical script 1074-1084 Huizong
Yuan De Tong Bao 元德通寶 元德通宝 Clerical script 1119-1126 Chongzong
Da De Tong Bao 大德通寶 大德通宝 Regular script 1135-1139 Chongzong
Tian Sheng Yuan Bao 天盛元寶 天盛元宝 Regular script 1149-1169 Renzong
Qian You Yuan Bao 乾佑元寶 乾佑元宝 Regular script, Semi-cursive script, Seal script[9][10] 1170-1193 Renzong
Tian Qing Yuan Bao 天慶元寶 天庆元宝 Regular script 1194-1206 Huanzong
Huang Jian Yuan Bao 皇建元寶 皇建元宝 Regular script 1210-1211 Xiangzong
Guang Ding Yuan Bao 光定元寶 光定元宝 Semi-cursive script, Seal script 1211-1223 Shenzong

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The transliterations are those from Tangutologist Li Fanwen, as opposed to Hartill's usage "Lee Ndzen" and similar phonetics which are common in the numismatics community.

References

  1. ^ 1984 "Who are the Tanguts? Remarks on Tangut Ethnogenesis and the Ethnonym Tangut." Journal of Asian History 18:1: 78-89.
  2. ^ 1994 "Hsi-Hsia." The Cambridge History of China, Volume 6. Eds. Denis C. Twitchett and Herbert Franke. Cambridge University Press
  3. ^ S.W. Bushell "The Hsi Hsia Dynasty of Tangut, Their Money and Peculiar Script" (Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society Vol.XXX (1895-1896) pp. 142-160.
  4. ^ "Chinese coins – 中國錢幣 (Western Xia Dynasty/Xi Xia Dynasty)". Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture). 16 November 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  5. ^ BabelStone by Andrew West (魏安) Zhida Tongbao. Wednesday, 10 January 2007. Retrieved: 20 June 2017.
  6. ^ Charms.ru [http://www.charm.ru/coins/vn/ch-vn.shtml Coincidences of Vietnam and China cash coins legends.] Francis Ng, People’s Republic of China, Thuan D. Luc, United States, and Vladimir A. Belyaev, Russia March-June, 1999 Retrieved: 17 June 2017.
  7. ^ BabelStone (Andrew West) Tangut Coins. Monday, 29 January 2007. Retrieved: 18 June 2017.
  8. ^ in Li Fanwen 李範文, Xia-Han Zidian 夏漢字典 [A Tangut-Chinese Dictionary] (Beijing: Zhongguo Shehui Kexue Chubanshe, 1997).
  9. ^ "Unique Western Xia Coin Written in Seal Script Unearthed in Ningxia". Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture). 4 October 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  10. ^ “China Numismatics” (2016年1期). 宁夏首次出土篆书乾祐元宝。 朱 浒 盛世隆泉 Published 25 April 2016. Retrieved: 20 June 2017.

Sources

  • 1994. “西夏的衡制與幣制 Xixia de hengzhi yu bizhi (The weight and coin systems of the West Xia)” 《中國錢幣》 Zhongguo qianbi / China Numanistics 1994.1: 3-8,17, 81 (in Mandarin)
  • 2002. “西夏货币制度概述 (The Outline of monetary system of West Xia dynasty).” 《中國錢幣》 Zhongguo qianbi / China Numanistics 2002.3:43-46 (in Mandarin)
  • Hartill, David (September 22, 2005). Cast Chinese Coins. Trafford, United Kingdom: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1412054669.
  • Niú Dáshēng (牛达生) Research into Western Xia Coins. (2013)
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