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 Silver Bureau,” 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.

物件編號: A160

年代: 公元 1894 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 15.0 x 15.0 mm

製造地: 福建, 福建銀元局

來源: 諾南斯 2022

此硬幣為福建省府福州最早的民營「福建銀元局」鑄造之「光緒元寶」銀幣。硬幣正面的中央為一隻正面蟠龍。上環的英文是以威妥瑪系統拼寫的「福建省」(FOO-KIEN PROVINCE)，若再進一步跟福建各地的方言作比較，上述對於「福建」的英文拼音，並非採納造幣廠所處的福州(閩東)話發音(Hók-gióng)，反而跟通行於閩南和粵北一帶的客家話(Fuk-kien)較為近似。下環的英文則是幣值「三分六釐」(36 CANDAREENS)。正面跟反面有相同的設計，即左右各有一個四瓣花裝飾。

硬幣背面有一道珠圈，在內部刻有「光緒元寶」四字，正中央以滿文鐫刻「光緒元寶」。上環鐫刻鑄造地「福建省造」，下環為貨幣價值「庫平三分六釐」。相較後續改制為官辦「福建官銀局」，兩者有三個不同之處。首先，是上環標示的鑄造地；其次，此一民營「福建銀元局」時期鑄造的光緒銀圓，鐫刻的中文字體較為輕盈；最後值得注意的，背面下環處鐫刻的中文幣值，福建銀元局是逆時針環繞，福建官銀局則是順時針環繞。

鴉片戰爭後，清帝國跟西方世界日益頻繁的貿易過程中，含銀量較低的洋銀大舉流入中國，造成含銀量較高的中國紋銀大量外流，加重政府財政困難和社會動盪。光緒13年(公元1887年)，時任兩廣總督的張之洞為此上奏朝廷，奏請從英國喜敦公司引入機器，於廣東設局鑄造銀元。經朝廷奏准後，光緒15年(公元1889年)廣東開始生產「光緒元寶」，開啟中國機鑄貨幣的濫觴。

光緒17年(公元1891年)起，福建先是跟廣東購買其生產的銀元使用。但有感交通不便，長期向廣東購買並非上策，為此省城福州的鄉紳孫葆瑨決定前往廣東觀摩，學成歸來後跟閩浙總督建議自行設廠。光緒20年(公元1894年)，商人們獲得官方許可後，集資在福州成立民營「福建銀元局」。光緒26年(公元1900年)，改制為官辦的「福建官銀局」。光緒31年(公元1905年)，官銀局改稱為「福建造幣分廠」，同年12月停鑄。經數次更名，民國3年(公元1914年)工廠走入歷史。如今廠址僅留有「番錢仔廠」(福州方言，外國錢廠)地名憑弔往昔。