Western Xia coinage

A tshjwu ꞏwu ljɨ̣ dzjɨj (𘀗𘑨𘏨𘔭) or Qian You Bao Qian (乾佑寶錢) cash coin written in Tangut script.
A Tian Sheng Yuan Bao (天盛元寶) coin issued under Emperor Renzong.

The Western Xia Empire ruled over 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] Although the Western Xia casted their own coins barter remained widely used.[4]

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.[5]

After Western Xia was annexed by the Mongols, Tangut inscriptions appeared only on a single Yuan dynasty coin.[6]

List of coins produced by the Western Xia

The cash coins produced under the Western Xia were cast in either Tangut or Chinese.[7]

Coins with Tangut inscriptions:[8][9][lower-alpha 1]

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

Coins with Chinese inscriptions:

InscriptionTraditional ChineseSimplified ChineseScriptYears of castingEmperorImage
Da An Tong Bao大安通寶大安通宝Clerical script1074–1084Huizong
Yuan De Tong Bao元德通寶元德通宝Clerical script1119–1126Chongzong
Da De Tong Bao大德通寶大德通宝Regular script1135–1139Chongzong
Tian Sheng Yuan Bao天盛元寶天盛元宝Regular script1149–1169Renzong
Qian You Yuan Bao乾佑元寶乾佑元宝Regular script, Semi-cursive script, Seal script[10][11]1170–1193Renzong
Tian Qing Yuan Bao天慶元寶天庆元宝Regular script1194–1206Huanzong
Huang Jian Yuan Bao皇建元寶皇建元宝Regular script1210–1211Xiangzong
Guang Ding Yuan Bao光定元寶光定元宝Semi-cursive script, Seal script1211–1223Shenzong

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. ↑ Chinaknowledge.de Chinese History - Western Xia Empire Economy. 2000 ff. © Ulrich Theobald. Retrieved: 13 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ BabelStone by Andrew West (魏安) Zhida Tongbao. Wednesday, 10 January 2007. Retrieved: 20 June 2017.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ BabelStone (Andrew West) Tangut Coins. Monday, 29 January 2007. Retrieved: 18 June 2017.
  9. ↑ in Li Fanwen (李範文), Xia-Han Zidian (夏漢字典) [A Tangut-Chinese Dictionary] (Beijing: Zhongguo Shehui Kexue Chubanshe, 1997).
  10. ↑ "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.
  11. ↑ “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 by Dr. Zhu Hu (朱浒) of the Art Research Institute of East China Normal University (华东师范大学艺术研究所) Retrieved: 20 June 2017. (in Mandarin Chinese using Simplified Chinese characters)

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)
Preceded by:
Ancient Chinese coinage
Reason: Independence.		 Currency of China (Gansu)
1038 – 1227		 Succeeded by:
Yuan dynasty coinage
Reason: Mongol conquest
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