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,
Guangxu Yuanbao,3.6 Candareens,
Guangxu 20th year, Fookien Province
清
光緒元寶
庫平三分六釐
光緒二十年
福建省造
Item number: A160
Year: AD 1894
Material: Silver
Size: 15.0 x 15.0 mm
Manufactured by: Fujian, Fookien Silver Dollar Bureau
Provenance: Noonans 2022
This “Guangxu Yuanbao” silver coin was minted by the earliest privately-owned“Fookien Silver Dollar Bureau” in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province. The central motif on the obverse side of the coin features a frontal coiled dragon. The inscription on the upper rim is spelled using the Wade-Giles system as “Fujian Province” (FOO-KIEN PROVINCE), which, upon further comparison with various dialects spoken in Fujian, does not reflect the pronunciation of the mint’s location in Fuzhou (Hokkien dialect), but rather resembles the pronunciation in Hakka dialect spoken in areas of southern Fujian and northern Guangdong (Fuk-kien). The inscription on the lower rim indicates the denomination as “36 CANDAREENS.” The design on both the obverse and reverse sides is identical, with each side adorned with a four-petal flower decoration on the left and right.
The reverse side of the coin features a concentric circle, with the inscription “Guangxu Yuanbao” engraved in the inner part, and centrally inscribed in Manchu script. The upper rim bears the engraving of the minting location as “Made in Fujian Province,” while the lower rim indicates the currency value as “36 CANDAREENS.” In comparison to the later period when it was reorganized into the official “Fookien Government Silver Bureau,” there are three differences between them.First, is the title of minting location; Second, the font of the Chinese characters engraved during the period of the privately-owned “Fookien Silver Yuan Bureau” is relatively lighter; Third, it is noteworthy that the Chinese currency value engraved at the bottom rim on the reverse side is clockwise for the Fookien Silver Yuan Bureau and counterclockwise for the Fookien Government Silver Bureau.
After the Opium Wars, the Qing Empire intensified its trade relations with the Western world. During this process, foreign silver with lower silver content flooded into China, leading to a significant outflow of Chinese Sycee silver with higher silver content. This exacerbated financial difficulties for the government and social unrest. In the 13th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1887), Zhang Zhidong, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, submitted a memorial to the imperial court, requesting permission to introduce machinery from the British Birmingham mint to establish a mint in Guangdong to produce silver coins. After the imperial court approved the proposal, production of the “Guangxu Yuanbao” began in Guangdong in the 15th year of Guangxu’s reign (AD 1889), marking the initiation of machine-struck currency in China.
In the 17th year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1891), Fujian initially purchased silver coins produced in Guangdong for circulation. However, due to the inconvenience of transportation, continuous reliance on Guangdong for purchases was not considered ideal. To address this, Sun Baojin, a local gentry in the provincial capital Fuzhou, decided to travel to Guangdong for observation. After learning from this experience, he returned to Fujian and proposed to the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang that they should establish their own mint. In the 20th year of Guangxu’s reign (AD 1894), with official permission, merchants gathered funds to establish the private “Fookien Silver Dollar Bureau” in Fuzhou. In the 26th year of Guangxu’s reign (AD 1900), the bureau was reorganized into the official “Fookien Government SilverBureau,” expanding to a scale with twelve workshops.
In the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (AD 1905), the Government Silver Bureau was renamed as the “Fookien Mint Subsidiary Factory” and ceased operations in December of the same year. Subsequently, after undergoing several name changes, the factory ceased operations in the 3rd year of the Republic of China (AD 1914). Today, only the place name “Fan Qian Zai Chang” (Fuzhou dialect, meaning Foreign Coin Factory) remains to commemorate the bygone era.