This article is about the type of coin. For the prince of the Jin dynasty, see Wuzhu. For the Buddhist monk, see Baotang Wuzhu.
A pile of Wu Zhu (五銖) cash coins.
Wu Zhu
Traditional Chinese
五銖
Simplified Chinese
五铢
Literal meaning
five zhu
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
wǔ zhū
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
/ŋuoXd͡ʑɨo/
Old Chinese
Zhengzhang
/*ŋaːʔdjo/
Wu Zhu (Chinese: 五銖) is a type of Chinese cash coin produced from the Han dynasty in 118 BC when they replaced the earlier San Zhu (三銖; "Three Zhu") cash coins, which had replaced the Ban Liang (半兩) cash coins a year prior,[1] until they themselves were replaced by the Kaiyuan Tongbao (開元通寳) cash coins of the Tang dynasty in 621 AD. The name Wu Zhu literally means "five zhu" which is a measuring unit officially weighing about 4 grams however in reality the weights and sizes of Wu Zhu cash coins varied over the years. During the Han dynasty a very large quantity of Wu Zhu coins were cast but their production continued under subsequent dynasties until the Sui.[2]
The production of Wu Zhu cash coins was briefly suspended by Wang Mang during the Xin dynasty but after the reestablishment of the Han dynasty, the production of Wu Zhu cash coins resumed, and continued to be manufactured long after the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty for another 500 years.[3] Minting was definitively ended in 618 with the establishment of the Tang dynasty. Wu Zhu cash coins were cast from 118 BC to 618 AD having a span of 736 years, which is the longest for any coin in human history.[4]
^Numis' Numismatic Encyclopedia. A reference list of 5000 years of Chinese coinage. (Numista) Written on December 9, 2012 • Last edit: June 13, 2013. Retrieved: 23 August 2018.
^One Thousand Years of Wu Zhu Coinage (118 BC-AD 958) by H. Gratzer and A. Fishman (09 December 2016) ISBN 1539677141.
^Li Fang, Shengqiang Luo, Wenli Zhou, Chunxin Wang, Zhengyao Jin, Fang Huang, and Anchuan Fan (11 March 2023). "Counterfeiting activities during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) revealed by the special alloy coins in the Chenzhou hoard, Hunan, China". Journal of Archaeological Science (ScienceDirect, Elsevier). Retrieved 3 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Wu Zhu – One of the longest lived coin types". by Bob Reis (Professional Coin Grading Service - Collectors Universe). 17 July 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
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