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Geng Jingzhong,
Yumin Tongbao
(One Candareen)
耿精忠
裕民通寶
(背一分)
Item number: A990
Year: AD 1673-1676
Material: Brass
Size: 28.2 x 28.2 x 1.0 mm
Weight: 5.6 g
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection
This is a “Yumin Tongbao” brass coin minted by Geng Jingzhong, the “Prince Who Pacifies the South” (靖南王) of Fujian, in response to the rebellion against the Qing Dynasty led by Wu Sangui in Yunnan in the 12th year of the Kangxi reign (AD 1673).
The coin features the typical square-holed design. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Yumin Tongbao” (裕民通寶) are inscribed in regular script in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side of the coin bears the denomination “One Candareen” (一分) on the right. According to records, the “Yumin Tongbao” coins have different variants, including plain-backed, One Candareen (一分), One Mace (壹錢), and Zhe One Mace (浙一錢).
Geng Jingzhong was one of the Han Chinese princes with different surnames, titled by the Qing court in Fujian, following in the footsteps of his grandfather. He, along with Wu Sangui, the “Prince Who Pacifies the West” (平西王) in Yunnan, and Shang Zhixin, the “Prince Who Pacifies the South” (平南王) in Guangdong, formed the so-called “Three Feudatories.” In AD 1673, they rebelled due to dissatisfaction with Emperor Kangxi’s “Reduction of the Feudatories” policy. Geng Jingzhong invited Zheng Jing, ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan, who had previously established his base in Fujian, to join the fight against the Qing. However, internal conflicts over territorial control arose between them.
In AD 1676, facing attacks from both the Qing forces and Zheng Jing’s troops, Geng Jingzhong chose to surrender to the Qing court and was subsequently imprisoned in Beijing. After the Qing defeated Wu Sangui’s forces in Yunnan in AD 1682, Emperor Kangxi ordered Geng Jingzhong to be executed by slow slicing in Beijing.