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<p>The prosperous East Asian maritime trade network during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1912) promoted the flow of goods and led to the widespread circulation of Japanese copper coins in the southeastern coastal and inland areas of China, forming a unique cross-border monetary culture phenomenon. This study takes six copper coins unearthed from the Qipanshan Tomb in northern Fujian as the object, aiming to reveal the alloy characteristics and technological origins of currency circulation in this specific time and space through microscopic material science. It comprehensively uses metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques to systematically characterize the chemical composition, microstructure, and corrosion products of the samples. The results show that: (1) The material of the samples does not adopt the traditional copper-tin-lead ternary formula but shows a clear difference in composition between copper-lead alloy (Cu-Pb) and copper-zinc alloy (brass). Among them, Copper Coins No. 1 and No. 2 are confirmed to be Kan’ei Tsūhō coins cast in Japan. The lead content of No. 1, as high as 27%, reveals its special technology of “using lead instead of copper” as an export-type trade currency during the Edo period. (2) The Ming and Qing dynasty brass samples defined the technical distinction between official and private coinage. Copper Coins No. 4 and No. 6, with their pure single-phase structure and stable zinc content of 27%, were confirmed as official standard coins. However, the presence of non-formulated inclusions such as magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) in Copper Coins No. 3 and No. 5 indicates the economic reality of private minting using recycled copper for profit. (3) Burial environment analysis showed that acidic red soil caused the formation of dense ferrosilicon hard rust on the surface of the coins and induced the formation of autocatalytically destructive atacamite in some samples, revealing a typical corrosion mechanism in high-humidity acidic soil. This study quantifies the circulation of Japanese coins deep into the inland hinterland of China from a materials science perspective, providing key scientific evidence for reconstructing the economic status of northern Fujian in the East Asian trade system during the Ming and Qing dynasties.</p>

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Circulation of Chinese and Japanese currencies in Northern Fujian during the Ming and Qing dynasties: clue from copper coins unearthed from the Qipanshan site in Wuyi new district

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月16日

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  • Yile Chen,
  • Jingwei Liang,
  • Qingnian Deng,
  • Lei Zhang,
  • Wei Liu,
  • Yufei Zhu ,
  • Zekai Guo,
  • Liang Zheng

摘要

The prosperous East Asian maritime trade network during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1912) promoted the flow of goods and led to the widespread circulation of Japanese copper coins in the southeastern coastal and inland areas of China, forming a unique cross-border monetary culture phenomenon. This study takes six copper coins unearthed from the Qipanshan Tomb in northern Fujian as the object, aiming to reveal the alloy characteristics and technological origins of currency circulation in this specific time and space through microscopic material science. It comprehensively uses metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques to systematically characterize the chemical composition, microstructure, and corrosion products of the samples. The results show that: (1) The material of the samples does not adopt the traditional copper-tin-lead ternary formula but shows a clear difference in composition between copper-lead alloy (Cu-Pb) and copper-zinc alloy (brass). Among them, Copper Coins No. 1 and No. 2 are confirmed to be Kan’ei Tsūhō coins cast in Japan. The lead content of No. 1, as high as 27%, reveals its special technology of “using lead instead of copper” as an export-type trade currency during the Edo period. (2) The Ming and Qing dynasty brass samples defined the technical distinction between official and private coinage. Copper Coins No. 4 and No. 6, with their pure single-phase structure and stable zinc content of 27%, were confirmed as official standard coins. However, the presence of non-formulated inclusions such as magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) in Copper Coins No. 3 and No. 5 indicates the economic reality of private minting using recycled copper for profit. (3) Burial environment analysis showed that acidic red soil caused the formation of dense ferrosilicon hard rust on the surface of the coins and induced the formation of autocatalytically destructive atacamite in some samples, revealing a typical corrosion mechanism in high-humidity acidic soil. This study quantifies the circulation of Japanese coins deep into the inland hinterland of China from a materials science perspective, providing key scientific evidence for reconstructing the economic status of northern Fujian in the East Asian trade system during the Ming and Qing dynasties.