Eastern Han (China)
(25 to 220)
What happened?
The Eastern Han or Later Han began in 25 AD, when Liu Xiu became Emperor Guangwu of Han. He took control and ruled from Luoyang in eastern China. Liu Xiu defeated the Chimei rebels, as well as rival warlords, to reunify China again under the Han Dynasty.
The empire was strengthened under Emperor Guangwu. Vietnam and Korea were reconquered. The Hun Confederation was pacified. Emperor Zhang succeeded Emperor Guangwu. So, began an era of prosperity. Taxes were reduced, Confucian ideals were encouraged, and the emperor appointed able administrators. One of China’s most important inventions, namely the perfected process of early forms of paper, emerged during his reign. Chinese texts could circulate with paper on a durable and inexpensive medium. Formerly, clay, silk or bamboo were used. The Chinese texts became more readily available and encouraged learning. Porcelain was another important perfected innovation of this time. The improvement of porcelain allowed for durable, high-quality, and attractive ceramic ware.
In 184 AD, a series of rebellions began. Military generals kept their militia forces intact during these crises after defeating the rebels. General-in-Chief He Jin plotted to overthrow palace eunuchs. However, he was discovered and killed. A series of generals attempted to control the young emperor, culminating in three spheres of influence. The north was ruled by Cao Cao, the south by Sun Quan, and the west was controlled by Liu Bei.
Cao Pi succeeded his deceased father Cao Cao and forced Emperor Xian to give up the throne to him. The Han Dynasty ended, and started the period of three states, Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu.
Wu Zhu
± 25
Wu Zhu is a Chinese money coin from the Hand Dynasty. In 118 BC they replaced the earlier Shan Zhu money coins. The Wu Zhu was itself replaced in AD 621 by the Kaiyuan Tong Bao of the Tang Dynasty. They remained in circulation for about 739 years. The name Wu Zhu means "five Zhu". That is an official unit of measurement of 100 grains of millet and weighs about 4 grams. Wu Zhu's weights and measures varied over the years. There are many varieties. The introduction of the Wu Zhu regulated the standard exchange between bronze coins and gold. 10.000 bronze Wu Zhu money coins would be worth 1 jin of gold. The early Wu Zhu’s have edges that have not been filed.
During the Han Dynasty, a large amount of Wu Zhu coins was cast. Production continued under the succeeding dynasties until the Sui Dynasty. Our variant was originally cast in 25 AD of the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Xin Dynasty, the production of Wu Zhu money coins was suspended. After the re-establishment of the Han dynasty in 25 AD its production was resumed under Emperor Guangwu. Under the rule of the warlord Dong Zhuo (188-192), small money coins were made from the bronze statues of the Qin dynasty. With the establishment of the Tang dynasty in 618, the minting was definitively ended. This makes the production of Wu Zhu money coins the longest for any coin in the history of the world until now (2022).
Because these coins were produced in enormous quantities, they have become quite common. They occur frequently at archaeological sites, sometimes in large numbers. For example, in 2012, 14.000 Wu Zhu money coins were found. In 2015, even 10 tons of such coins were found, which accounts for about 2 million coins.