The museum’s collection houses one of the earliest Chinese coins, which served as a prototype for coins in neighboring states of China. These coins were cast for more than seven centuries, the longest period of issuance among all coins in the world.
The very first ancient coins of China were miniature and stylized forms of objects used in barter trade before the advent of money. These included coins in the form of cowry shells, knives, shovels, and hoes.
Around the 4th century BCE, the first round coins with a round hole in the center appeared. Coins with a square hole appeared somewhat later, but this shape remained unchanged for over 2000 years. The presence of a central hole was due to the fact that money in China was strung on cords for ease of carrying and transactions.
The square shape of the hole has several explanations. The first of them is related to Chinese symbolism. According to ancient Chinese beliefs, the earth was considered square and the sky round, so the coin could represent the connection between earth and heaven.
According to the second version, since ancient times the Chinese have called their country “Zhōngguó, ” which translates to “Middle Kingdom.” This name is still in use today. The hieroglyph “kingdom” has an ancient form of writing — a simple square. Hence, the second symbolic explanation — China, in the form of a square hole, located in the center of the universe, within a circle.
The third hypothesis for the coin’s shape could be related to the technology of its production. After the coins were cast, they were removed from the mold, and it often happened that the metal overflowed the mold and could partially or completely block the hole. The blocked hole had to be punched out. For this purpose, square-section rods were used, which approximately matched the size of the hole.
