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.

物件編號: A242

年代: 公元 25-263 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 21.6 x 21.6 x 2.1 mm

重量: 3.36 g

來源: 福君錢幣 2022

這是一枚東漢初期到三國蜀漢時期，流行於四川成都平原的「五利后」字樣的方孔錢型制陪葬品。並且經常跟「搖錢樹」這種具備中國西南特色的陪葬物一同出土。銘文按右至左的讀法，右側為「五」，左側是「利后」二字。錢幣兩面銘文皆為「五利后」，此種兩面銘文一致的特點在中國的錢幣學中被稱為「合背」。

搖錢樹是結合四川盆地自三星堆文化以來，本土的神樹崇拜和西漢時期中原移民信仰的綜合產物。樹身經常有西王母的神像，傳說中西王母有長生不死之仙藥，故得到漢朝時期皇室和民間的高度崇拜。結合兩漢時期崇尚方士的讖緯之學興起，和四川在東漢時期是道教前身的「五斗米教」重要發祥地。因此早年學者在判讀「五利后」時，經常將其與一度受到漢武帝推崇，甚至得到「五利將軍」封號的方士欒大作連結。學者推測「五利后」是欒大被漢武帝誅殺後，後人搬遷至四川跟創立五斗米教的張道陵結合後，在錢幣冠以頭銜「五利」和指涉後輩的「后」字加以紀念欒大。

但是近年來，有學者推翻「五利后」跟欒大的關聯性，將其單純視為後人祈禱亡靈庇佑的祝禱陪葬品。原因在於後世的道教經典並未推崇欒大，甚至因欺瞞漢武帝被揭發慘死後，欒大留下的惡評居多，其後裔是否遷居四川也缺乏史料佐證。另一個依據則是錢幣銘文的順序，按照傳統排列「五利后」三個字，其拆解應為「五/利后」而非橫跨左右兩邊的「五利/后」。因此右邊的「五」應該是仿造流通的「五銖錢」供死者在冥界使用。左側的「利后」結合搖錢樹的西王母像，應該是生者祈禱亡靈和神祇能「利於後代」，乘載著保佑子孫綿延不絕的期盼。