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!
Southern Ming
Longwu Tongbao
南明 隆武通寶
Item number: A1054
Year: AD 1645-1646
Material: Brass
Size: 24.7 x 24.5 x 0.8 mm
Weight: 2.65 g
Provenance:
1. Noonans 2022
2. D.L.F. Sealy Collection
This is a “Longwu Tongbao” coin minted by the second ruler of the Southern Ming court, Prince Tang, Zhu Yujian, following the martyrdom of the Chongzhen Emperor in Beijing. The coin follows the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the four characters “Longwu Tongbao” are inscribed in regular script, arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The script is notably slender. The reverse side of the coin is plain, without any inscriptions or patterns.
The “Longwu Tongbao” coin comes in various types, one of which is distinguished by the position of the dot stroke in the character “武” (Wu). The standard version features the correct placement of the dot stroke, but there exists another version where the dot stroke is positioned lower.
In May AD 1645, after the Qing army captured Nanjing and took the first ruler of the Southern Ming, Prince Fu, into custody, local warlords in Fujian, led by Zheng Zhilong, installed Prince Tang, Zhu Yujian, as “Regent” to continue the resistance against the Qing. In gratitude for the Zheng family’s support, Prince Tang bestowed his royal surname “Zhu” upon Zheng Zhilong’s son, Zheng Chenggong, who became famously known as “Koxinga” (國姓爺) throughout the coastal regions of East Asia.
However, in AD 1646, Zheng Zhilong secretly surrendered to the Qing, allowing the Qing army to invade Fujian on a large scale. During his escape, Zhu Yujian was killed by the Qing forces, marking the end of the Longwu reign title.