Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Qing Dynasty
Kangxi Tongbao
Zhangzhou Prefecture bureau
清
康熙通寶
漳州府局造
Item number: A971
Year: AD 1680-1682
Material: Brass
Size: 26.8 x 26.8 x 1.1 mm
Weight: 5.0 g
Manufactured by: Zhangzhou Prefecture Bureau
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This coin was a circulating currency known as “Kangxi Tongbao,” minted during the reign of the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi, spanning from AD 1661 to AD 1722. It was produced at the coin mint in Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province.
The coin is circular with a square hole in the center, primarily made of brass. The outer part of the coin forms two concentric circles, with the outer circle in a dark brown color, smooth and without any patterns. The inner circle on the obverse side, surrounding the square hole, features the inscription“Kangxi Tongbao”in regular script at the top, bottom, right, and left in sequence. On the reverse side, also centered around the square hole, both the left and right sides bear inscriptions in Manchu and Chinese characters, indicating the minting location asthe abbreviated form “Zhang” forZhangzhou.
During the Kangxi era, in addition to the central mints, “Baoquan Bureau” and “Baoyuan Bureau,”24 regional mints were established. The “Kangxi Tongbao” is the earliest locally minted currency in the Zhangzhou region during the Qing Dynasty. During the years AD 1680-1682, specifically in Kangxi 19-21, the “Zhangzhou Prefecture Bureau,” was briefly established in Zhangzhou Prefecture, colloquially known as “Baozhang Bureau,” responsible for minting the Kangxi Tongbao.
Particularly during the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the Qing Dynasty, mints were established at sub-provincial administrative levels to meet the demands of warfare. The motivation behind establishing the Baozhang Bureau was the Qing court’s need for local preparations to attack the Ming Zheng forces entrenched off the coast of Fujian, specifically Taiwan. The year following the cessation of operations at Baozhang Bureau, in Kangxi 22 (AD 1683), the Qing court successfully incorporated Taiwan into its territory, highlighting the close connection between Baozhang Bureau and military activities.