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Southern Ming
Hongguang Tongbao
(Upward Dot)
南明 弘光通寶
(背上一點)
Item number: A1011
Year: AD 1644-1645
Material: Brass
Size: 24.6 x 24.6 x 1.1 mm
Weight: 3.9 g
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D.L.F. Sealy Collection
This is a “Hongguang Tongbao” coin, minted under the era name of Prince Fu, during the chaotic period at the end of the Ming Dynasty, following the suicide of the Chongzhen Emperor and the Manchu invasion. In response to the turmoil, the remaining loyalists of the Ming Dynasty established the Southern Ming court in Nanjing, installing Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, as the new emperor.
The coin follows the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the four characters “Hongguang Tongbao” (弘光通寶) are inscribed in regular script (Kaishu) in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. The coin can be further classified into different varieties based on variations in the form of the “弓” radical on the left side of the character “弘.” There is a dot on the top of the reverse side of the coin as decoration.
In AD 1644, after the rebel leader Li Zicheng captured Beijing, forcing the Chongzhen Emperor to commit suicide, the remnants of the Ming Dynasty established Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, as emperor in Nanjing in May of that year. The Southern Ming court began minting the “Hongguang Tongbao” coins in October AD 1644, continuing until May of the following year, when Nanjing fell to Qing forces. The minting period for the Hongguang Tongbao lasted only seven months.
During the brief reign of Prince Fu, Zhu Yousong, the Southern Ming court was plagued by intense factional struggles, and the emperor himself was notorious for his indulgence and neglect of state affairs. In May AD 1645, the Qing forces captured Nanjing and took Prince Fu prisoner. Subsequently, the remaining Southern Ming resistance factions successively supported three other Ming princes: Prince Lu, Prince Tang, and Prince Gui. The Southern Ming resistance persisted until AD 1662, when the Gui King, the Yongli Emperor, was executed by Wu Sangui in Kunming, marking the end of the Ming royal line.