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!
Eastern Han-Shu Han,
Wu Li Hou
東漢-蜀漢 五利后
Item number: A242
Year: AD 25-263
Material: Copper
Size: 21.6 x 21.6 x 2.1 mm
Weight: 3.36 g
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2022
This is a burial item in the form of a square-holed coin, prevalent from the early Eastern Han Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms period of Shu Han, found in the Chengdu Plain of Sichuan Province.Additionally, it is often unearthed alongside burial items characteristic of the southwestern region of China, such as the “money tree.” The inscription reads “Wu Li Hou,” read from right to left, with “Wu” on the right and “Li Hou” on the left. Both sides of the coin bear the inscription “Wu Li Hou,” a feature known as “conjoined inscription” in Chinese numismatics.
The “money tree” is a product that combines the indigenous tree worship in the Sichuan Basin since the Sanxingdui culture with the beliefs of Central Plains immigrants during the Western Han Dynasty. The trunk often features an image of the Queen Mother of the West, who, according to legend, possesses the elixir of immortality, thus earning high reverence from the imperial court and the populace during the Han Dynasty. It integrates the rise of the divination and prediction studies advocated by Daoist scholars during the Han Dynasty and Sichuan’s status as the birthplace of the “Five Pecks of Rice” movement, an antecedent of Daoism during the Eastern Han period.
Therefore, early scholars often associated “Wu Li Hou” with Luan Da, a Daoist scholar once revered by Emperor Wu of Han and even conferred the title of “General Wu Li.” Scholars speculate that “Wu Li Hou” commemorates Luan Da by combining his honorific “Wu Li” with the title “Hou,” referring to his descendants, after he was executed by Emperor Wu and later associated with Zhang Daoling, the founder of the Five Pecks of Rice movement, after moving to Sichuan.
However, in recent years, some scholars have overturned the association between “Wu Li Hou” and Luan Da, viewing it simply as a prayerful funerary item for invoking blessings from deceased spirits. The reason for this shift lies in the fact that later Daoist scriptures do not venerate Luan Da, and he received mostly negative reviews due to his deception of Emperor Wu of Han, leading to his tragic death. Moreover, there is a lack of historical evidence supporting whether Luan Da’s descendants migrated to Sichuan.
Another basis for this reinterpretation is the order of the inscription on the coin. According to traditional arrangement, “Wu Li Hou” should be interpreted as “Wu / Li Hou” rather than “Wu Li / Hou” spanning across both sides. Therefore, the character “Wu” on the right side should be a replica of the circulating “Wu Zhu,” intended for the deceased to use in the afterlife. The “Li Hou” on the left side, combined with the image of the Queen Mother of the West on the money tree, likely signifies the living’s prayers for the benefit of the deceased and deities to “benefit future generations,” carrying the hope for the continued prosperity of descendants.