Latin Tombstones in Yangzhou and Venetian Silver Coins in Canton

This paper provides a detailed analysis of two Latin tombstones discovered in Yangzhou in 1952, suggesting that the individuals buried there were Catholic Franciscans in 14th-century Yangzhou, reflecting the state of Christianity in Yangzhou during the first half of the fourteenth century. The paper also introduces a Venetian silver coin unearthed in Guangzhou in 1964, which was minted by Pasquale Malipiero, Doge of Venice, during 1457–1462. Together, the tombstones and the silver coin reflect the economic, religious, and cultural connections between China and Italy in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.