A sycee[n 1] (/ˈsaɪsiː,saɪˈsiː/;[2][1] from Cantonese細絲, Jyutping: Sai3 Si1, lit.'fine silk')[2][3] or yuanbao (traditional Chinese: 元寶; simplified Chinese: 元宝; pinyin: yuánbǎo; Jyutping: jyun4 bou2; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Goân-pó; lit. 'primary treasure') was a type of gold and silveringot currency used in imperial China from its founding under the Qin dynasty until the fall of the Qing in the 20th century. Sycee were not made by a central bank or mint but by individual goldsmiths or silversmiths for local exchange; consequently, the shape and amount of extra detail on each ingot were highly variable. Square and oval shapes were common, but boat, flower, tortoise and others are known. Their value—like the value of the various silver coins and little pieces of silver in circulation at the end of the Qing dynasty—was determined by experienced moneyhandlers, who estimated the appropriate discount based on the purity of the silver and evaluated the weight in taels and the progressive decimal subdivisions of the tael (mace, candareen, and cash).
Imperial gold syceeSilver syceeDrawing of a boat-shaped silver syceeSilver syceeGold sycee and molds
The name "sycee" is an irregular romanization of the Cantonese pronunciation of the characters for "fine silk".[2][3] This is variously explained as deriving from the ability to draw pure gold or silver out into fine threads[1] or from the silky sheen of quality silver.[4]
The name "yuanbao" is the pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of the characters for "inaugural treasures". Under China's Tang dynasty, coins were inscribed Kaiyuan tongbao (開元通寶, "Circulating Treasure of the Beginning of an Era"),[5][6] later abbreviated to yuanbao. The name was also applied to other non-coin forms of currency. Yuanbao was spelt mambo[7][8] and yambu[9][10] in the 19th-century English-language literature on Xinjiang and the trade between Xinjiang and British India.
A yuanbao was also called a dìng (Chinese: 鋌; pinyin: dìng; Wade–Giles: ting) or "silver dìng" (銀鋌; yíndìng; yin-ting). [11]
Paper money and bonds started to be used in China in the 9th century. However, due to monetary problems such as enormous local variations in monetary supply and exchange rates, rapid changes in the relative value of silver and copper, coin fraud, inflation, and political uncertainty with changing regimes, until the time of the Republic payment by weight of silver was the standard practice, and merchants carried their own scales with them. Most of the so-called "opium scales" seen in museums were actually for weighing payments in silver.[citation needed] The tael was still the basis of the silver currency and sycees remained in use until the end of the Qing dynasty. Common weights: 50 taels, 10 taels, 5 taels, 1 tael.
When foreign silver coins began to circulate in China in the later 16th century, they were initially considered a type of "quasi-sycee" and imprinted with seals just as sycees were.[13]
Today, imitation gold sycees are used as a symbol of prosperity among Chinese people. They are frequently displayed during Chinese New Year, representing a fortunate year to come. Reproduction or commemorative gold sycees continue to be minted as collectibles.
Another form of imitation yuanbao – made by folding gold- or silver-colored paper – can be burned at ancestors' graves during the Ghost Festival, along with imitation paper money.
Even after currency standard changed in Republican times, the old usage of denominating value by equivalent standard weight of silver survived in Cantonese slang in the common term for a ten-cent and a five-cent piece, e.g., chat fan yi (七分二 "seven candareens, two cash") or saam fan luk (三分六 "three candareens and six cash").
It was reported on 17 November 2015 by the Xinhua News Agency that at the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun in Xinjian, Jiangxi a number of gold coins had been found.[14][15] Excavations of the tomb have been conducted since 2011.[16][17] The gold objects unearthed included some 25 gold hoofs (a type of sycee) with varying weights from 40 to 250 grams and 50 very large gold coins weighing about 250 grams each.[14][15] The gold coinages were packed inside of three different boxes that were placed under a bed that was located inside of the main chamber of the tomb.[14][15] According to Yang Jie, who leads the excavation team, the gold objects were likely awarded to the Marquis of Haihun by the emperor himself.[14][15]
It was reported on 24 September 2015 that a number of cash coins had been found in tombs located in tombs during excavation work undertaken by the Jinan City Archaeological Research Institute nearby the Zhaojiazhuang Cemetery, Shandong.[18] The tombs yielded cash coins produced during the Song, Tang, and Qing dynasties with the latest examples being Xianfeng era cash coins.[18] A tomb identified as "Grave M1" also contained silver sycees issued under the Jin dynasty.[18]
In March 2017 a large number of cultural relics were discovered at the Minjiang River in Meishan, Sichuan. The findings at the river included over 10,000 individual items of gold and silver including a number of golden and silver sycees.[19][20] Furthermore a Xiwang Shanggong (西王賞功) cash coin issued by Zhang Xianzhong was unearthed at the Jiangkou stretch of the Minjiang River.[21]
^Uncommon variant spellings include sisee and seze.[1]
Referencesedit
^ abc"sycee, n.", Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1919.
^ abc"sycee", Merriam-Webster Online, retrieved 22 March 2016.
^ abMorse, Hosea Ballou; et al. (1908), The Trade and Administration of the Chinese Empire, Longmans, Green, & Co., p. 148.
^Sungkyun Journal of East Asian Studies, Academy of East Asian Studies at Sungkyunkwan University, 2008, p. 133.
^Louis, François. (PDF). p. 226. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-15. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
^"Bronze Kaiyuan tongbao coin". Explore Highlights. British Museum. The characters Kai yuan mean 'new beginning', while tong bao means 'circulating treasure' or 'coin'.
^Shaw, R.B. (1872–1873), "Miscellaneous notes on Eastern Turkestan", Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 17, Edward Stanford: 196
^Bell, James (1836), A System of Geography, Popular and Scientific: Or A Physical, Political, and Statistical Account of the World and Its Various Divisions, vol. 6, A. Fullarton and Company, p. 632
^Millward, James A. (1998), Beyond the Pass: Economy, Ethnicity, and Empire in Qing Central Asia, 1759-1864, Stanford University Press, p. 62, ISBN0804729336
^Morse, H.B. (1907). "Currency in China". Journal of the North-China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 38. Shanghai: 36. The standard ingot of China weighs about 50 taels (from 49 to 54) and, formerly called ting鋌, is now called pao寶 (jewel, article of value, as in the inscription on the copper cash tung-pao通寶 = "current coin") and more commonly yuan-pao元
^Lockhart, James Haldane Stewart (1975). The Lockhart Collection of Chinese Copper Coins. Quarterman Publications. p. xi. ISBN978-0-88000-056-7. the theory is that 1000 copper cash are equal to 10 silver and 1 gold.
^Foreign Silver Coins and Chinese Sycee at Sycee-on-line.com
^Jamie Seidel (22 March 2017). "Chinese discover legendary treasure buried in river bank". News Corp Australia Network. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
^Xinhua (20 March 2017). "China Focus: Legendary sunken treasure discovered in SW China". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
^ZD (11 May 2018). . Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2020. 10. Archaeologists found artifacts at the site of a peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) from the Jiangkou stretch of the Minjiang River in Meishan, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Further readingedit
Cribb, Joe. A Catalogue of Sycee in the British Museum: Chinese Silver Currency Ingots c. 1750–1933. British Museum Press, London, 1992.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sycee.
Examples of Chinese silver sycee (images)
Sycee On Line
Chinese Sycee History at Sycee-on-line.com
January 01, 1970
sycee, sycee, from, cantonese, 細絲, jyutping, sai3, fine, silk, yuanbao, traditional, chinese, 元寶, simplified, chinese, 元宝, pinyin, yuánbǎo, jyutping, jyun4, bou2, goân, primary, treasure, type, gold, silver, ingot, currency, used, imperial, china, from, foundi. A sycee n 1 ˈ s aɪ s iː s aɪ ˈ s iː 2 1 from Cantonese 細絲 Jyutping Sai3 Si1 lit fine silk 2 3 or yuanbao traditional Chinese 元寶 simplified Chinese 元宝 pinyin yuanbǎo Jyutping jyun4 bou2 Pe h ōe ji Goan po lit primary treasure was a type of gold and silver ingot currency used in imperial China from its founding under the Qin dynasty until the fall of the Qing in the 20th century Sycee were not made by a central bank or mint but by individual goldsmiths or silversmiths for local exchange consequently the shape and amount of extra detail on each ingot were highly variable Square and oval shapes were common but boat flower tortoise and others are known Their value like the value of the various silver coins and little pieces of silver in circulation at the end of the Qing dynasty was determined by experienced moneyhandlers who estimated the appropriate discount based on the purity of the silver and evaluated the weight in taels and the progressive decimal subdivisions of the tael mace candareen and cash Imperial gold syceeSilver sycee Drawing of a boat shaped silver sycee Silver sycee Gold sycee and molds In present day China gold sycees remain a symbol of wealth and prosperity and are commonly depicted during the Chinese New Year festivities Paper imitations of gold or silver colored paper are burned along with hell money as a part of Chinese ancestral veneration for Tomb Sweeping Day and the Ghost Festival Contents 1 Name 2 History 3 Contemporary uses 4 Notable hoards 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksName editThe name sycee is an irregular romanization of the Cantonese pronunciation of the characters for fine silk 2 3 This is variously explained as deriving from the ability to draw pure gold or silver out into fine threads 1 or from the silky sheen of quality silver 4 The name yuanbao is the pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of the characters for inaugural treasures Under China s Tang dynasty coins were inscribed Kaiyuan tongbao 開元通寶 Circulating Treasure of the Beginning of an Era 5 6 later abbreviated to yuanbao The name was also applied to other non coin forms of currency Yuanbao was spelt mambo 7 8 and yambu 9 10 in the 19th century English language literature on Xinjiang and the trade between Xinjiang and British India A yuanbao was also called a ding Chinese 鋌 pinyin ding Wade Giles ting or silver ding 銀鋌 yinding yin ting 11 History editSycees were first used as a medium for exchange as early as the Qin dynasty 3rd century BC During the Western Han dynasty 206 BC 9 AD the Wu Zhu bronze coins became the main currency in circulation while hoof shaped gold ingot known as Horse Hoof Gold Chinese 馬蹄金 served as an adjunct currency for high value transactions During the Tang dynasty a standard bi metallic system of silver and copper coinage was codified with 10 silver coins equal to 1 000 copper cash coins 12 Paper money and bonds started to be used in China in the 9th century However due to monetary problems such as enormous local variations in monetary supply and exchange rates rapid changes in the relative value of silver and copper coin fraud inflation and political uncertainty with changing regimes until the time of the Republic payment by weight of silver was the standard practice and merchants carried their own scales with them Most of the so called opium scales seen in museums were actually for weighing payments in silver citation needed The tael was still the basis of the silver currency and sycees remained in use until the end of the Qing dynasty Common weights 50 taels 10 taels 5 taels 1 tael When foreign silver coins began to circulate in China in the later 16th century they were initially considered a type of quasi sycee and imprinted with seals just as sycees were 13 Contemporary uses edit nbsp Chinese New Year sycee decoration nbsp Paper yuanbao burned at a grave nbsp Sycee shaped incense used in feng shui Today imitation gold sycees are used as a symbol of prosperity among Chinese people They are frequently displayed during Chinese New Year representing a fortunate year to come Reproduction or commemorative gold sycees continue to be minted as collectibles Another form of imitation yuanbao made by folding gold or silver colored paper can be burned at ancestors graves during the Ghost Festival along with imitation paper money Even after currency standard changed in Republican times the old usage of denominating value by equivalent standard weight of silver survived in Cantonese slang in the common term for a ten cent and a five cent piece e g chat fan yi 七分二 seven candareens two cash or saam fan luk 三分六 three candareens and six cash Notable hoards editSee also List of coin hoards in China It was reported on 17 November 2015 by the Xinhua News Agency that at the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun in Xinjian Jiangxi a number of gold coins had been found 14 15 Excavations of the tomb have been conducted since 2011 16 17 The gold objects unearthed included some 25 gold hoofs a type of sycee with varying weights from 40 to 250 grams and 50 very large gold coins weighing about 250 grams each 14 15 The gold coinages were packed inside of three different boxes that were placed under a bed that was located inside of the main chamber of the tomb 14 15 According to Yang Jie who leads the excavation team the gold objects were likely awarded to the Marquis of Haihun by the emperor himself 14 15 It was reported on 24 September 2015 that a number of cash coins had been found in tombs located in tombs during excavation work undertaken by the Jinan City Archaeological Research Institute nearby the Zhaojiazhuang Cemetery Shandong 18 The tombs yielded cash coins produced during the Song Tang and Qing dynasties with the latest examples being Xianfeng era cash coins 18 A tomb identified as Grave M1 also contained silver sycees issued under the Jin dynasty 18 In March 2017 a large number of cultural relics were discovered at the Minjiang River in Meishan Sichuan The findings at the river included over 10 000 individual items of gold and silver including a number of golden and silver sycees 19 20 Furthermore a Xiwang Shanggong 西王賞功 cash coin issued by Zhang Xianzhong was unearthed at the Jiangkou stretch of the Minjiang River 21 See also edit nbsp Money portal Economic history of China Gold bar Silver standardNotes edit Uncommon variant spellings include sisee and seze 1 References edit a b c sycee n Oxford English Dictionary 1st ed Oxford Oxford University Press 1919 a b c sycee Merriam Webster Online retrieved 22 March 2016 a b Morse Hosea Ballou et al 1908 The Trade and Administration of the Chinese Empire Longmans Green amp Co p 148 Sungkyun Journal of East Asian Studies Academy of East Asian Studies at Sungkyunkwan University 2008 p 133 Louis Francois Chinese Coins PDF p 226 Archived from the original PDF on 2015 02 15 Retrieved 2015 02 15 Bronze Kaiyuan tongbao coin Explore Highlights British Museum The characters Kai yuan mean new beginning while tong bao means circulating treasure or coin Shaw R B 1872 1873 Miscellaneous notes on Eastern Turkestan Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London 17 Edward Stanford 196 Bell James 1836 A System of Geography Popular and Scientific Or A Physical Political and Statistical Account of the World and Its Various Divisions vol 6 A Fullarton and Company p 632 Millward James A 1998 Beyond the Pass Economy Ethnicity and Empire in Qing Central Asia 1759 1864 Stanford University Press p 62 ISBN 0804729336 Shoe of Gold in Hobson Jobson p 830 Morse H B 1907 Currency in China Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 38 Shanghai 36 The standard ingot of China weighs about 50 taels from 49 to 54 and formerly called ting 鋌 is now called pao 寶 jewel article of value as in the inscription on the copper cash tung pao 通寶 current coin and more commonly yuan pao 元 Lockhart James Haldane Stewart 1975 The Lockhart Collection of Chinese Copper Coins Quarterman Publications p xi ISBN 978 0 88000 056 7 the theory is that 1000 copper cash are equal to 10 silver and 1 gold Foreign Silver Coins and Chinese Sycee at Sycee on line com a b c d Xinhua 17 November 2015 Gold coins found in ancient tomb China Internet Information Center State Council Information Office and China International Publishing Group Retrieved 12 April 2020 a b c d Credited as Xinhua Net NetWriter 20 November 2015 Gold coins hoofs found in 2 000 yr old Chinese tomb Kaogu 考古 Institute of Archaeology Chinese Academy of Social Sciences 中国社会科学院考古研究所 Retrieved 12 April 2020 Excavation of Haihunhou Tomb in China Completed New Historian 12 October 2016 Retrieved 22 February 2017 Identity of Han Dynasty marquis confirmed Chinanews com Retrieved 22 February 2017 a b c Credited as Chinese Archaeology NetWriter 24 September 2015 Song and Yuan dynasty graves found in Zhaojiazhuang Cemetery Shandong Kaogu 考古 Institute of Archaeology Chinese Academy of Social Sciences 中国社会科学院考古研究所 Retrieved 12 April 2020 Jamie Seidel 22 March 2017 Chinese discover legendary treasure buried in river bank News Corp Australia Network Retrieved 12 April 2020 Xinhua 20 March 2017 China Focus Legendary sunken treasure discovered in SW China Xinhua News Agency Retrieved 12 April 2020 ZD 11 May 2018 China s top 10 archaeological finds of 2017 Xinhua News Agency Archived from the original on April 28 2018 Retrieved 10 April 2020 10 Archaeologists found artifacts at the site of a peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty 1368 1644 from the Jiangkou stretch of the Minjiang River in Meishan southwest China s Sichuan Province Further reading editCribb Joe A Catalogue of Sycee in the British Museum Chinese Silver Currency Ingots c 1750 1933 British Museum Press London 1992 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sycee Examples of Chinese silver sycee images Sycee On Line Chinese Sycee History at Sycee on line com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sycee amp oldid 1221930137, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
