Item number: A1461

Year: AD 1922

Material: Brass

Size: 30.8 x 30.8 mm

Manufactured by: Changsha Mint, Hunan Province

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This is a 20 Cash commemorative brass coin issued in the 11th year of the Republic of China (AD 1922) by the Changsha Mint in Hunan Province to celebrate the formal promulgation and implementation of the Hunan Provincial Constitution on January 1 of that year. The Changsha Mint produced commemorative coins in three materials—gold, silver, and brass—to mark the occasion. The brass coins were issued in two denominations: 10 Cash and 20 Cash.

The obverse of the commemorative coin features two concentric bead circles, with a pair of tied sprigs of Jiahe (grain stalks) at the centre. Between the stalks is the Chinese numeral “三” (three). The imagery of “three” has been interpreted in various ways. A common explanation suggests it symbolises the promulgation of the constitution on January 1, Year 11 of the Republic of China. Other interpretations link it to the trigram “Qián” (乾) from the I Ching or to the three geographic regions of Hunan Province: central, southern, and western Hunan.

The outer edge of the coin bears inscriptions: the denomination “當廿” (worth twenty) is positioned to the left and right as dividers. The upper rim is inscribed with “湖南省憲成立紀念” (Commemoration of the Establishment of the Hunan Provincial Constitution), while the lower rim features the issuance date, “中華民國十一年一月一日” (January 1, Year 11 of the Republic of China).

There is also a rarer variant of the 20 Cash brass coin, in which the lower rim only displays the year and month of issuance.

The reverse side of the coin also features two concentric bead circles. At the centre is a depiction of the Five-Coloured Flag and the Iron Blood Eighteen-Star Flag tied together in a knot. Above the flags is an ornamental eight-petalled chrysanthemum. The outer rim bears inscriptions in English: the upper edge displays the national title, “THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA,” while the lower edge indicates the denomination, “TWENTY CASH.”

In AD 1911, prior to the overthrow of the Qing Empire during the Xinhai Revolution, revolutionaries proposed the idea of “provincial autonomy” modelled after the federal system of the United States as a political blueprint for China’s future.

In the fifth year of the Republic (AD 1916), following the death of Yuan Shikai, who dominated the Beiyang Government, China fell into a state of fragmentation under various regional warlords. Amid this chaos, the concept of “provincial autonomy,” emphasising local governance, once again gained traction.

This idea found resonance in Hunan Province, which had been at the forefront of shaping China’s modern trajectory since the late Qing period. In AD 1920, the provincial capital of Changsha became the birthplace of the first civilian organisation in China advocating for “provincial autonomy.” Subsequently, similar organisations emerged in at least fifteen other provinces.

In the same year that the Federation of Provincial Autonomy was established in Changsha, local military strongmen Tan Yankai and Zhao Hengti jointly expelled Zhang Jingyao, the warlord appointed by the Anhui clique to govern Hunan. They advanced the political platform of “Hunan governed by Hunanese” and provincial autonomy.

With the assistance of Liang Qichao, Hunan draughted the Hunan Provincial Constitution, which embodied the principles of separation of powers and local self-governance. However, following its implementation in the eleventh year of the Republic (AD 1922), the constitution became a political tool for Zhao Hengti after he assumed the position of provincial governor. It remained in effect for only four years before being overturned.

Despite its short-lived enforcement, the Hunan Provincial Constitution’s attempt to delineate the powers between the central government and the provinces inspired other provinces to adopt similar frameworks, exerting a profound influence on the development of China’s modern political system.

物件編號: A1461

年代: 公元 1922 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 30.8 x 30.8 mm

製造地: 長沙造幣廠，湖南省

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚民國11年 (公元1922年)，湖南省的長沙造幣廠為慶祝該年1月1日，《湖南省憲法》正式頒佈上路所發行的面額二十文紀念銅幣。長沙造幣廠為慶祝憲法頒布發行金、銀和銅三種材質的紀念幣，銅幣有十文和二十文兩種面額。

紀念幣正面有兩道珠圈，正中央是一對打結的嘉禾，嘉禾中央有中文數字「三」。關於圖騰「三」的意象有不同說法，常見的說法是代表憲法發行於民國11年1月1日，另外還有代表八卦「乾」或組成湖南省的湘中、湘南和湘西地理方位等不同解讀。外圍的左右兩側以漢字面額「當廿」作為分界，上緣題字「湖南省憲成立紀念」，下緣則是發行日期「中華民國十一年一月一日」。面額二十文的銅幣尚有另一款較為罕見，即下緣僅有標示年份和月份的版本。

錢幣背面亦有兩道珠圈，正中央是打結的五色旗與鐵血十八星旗，旗幟的上方以一朵八瓣菊花作為裝飾。外圍的上緣以英文標示國號「THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA」(中華民國)，下緣則是面額「TWENTY CASH」(二十文)。

公元1911年，辛亥革命推翻清帝國的統治以前，革命黨人對於未來中國的政治藍圖曾有仿效美國聯邦制度的「聯省自治」構想。民國5年 (公元1916年)，主宰北洋政府的袁世凱因病過世後，中國陷入地方軍閥割據的局面，於這般混亂局面下使得強調地方自主的「聯省自治」又成為吸引眾人的主張。尤其在清末以來就主導中國近代走向的湖南省，民國9年 (公元1920年)，省會長沙出現中國第一個以「聯省自治」為倡議的民間社團，隨後至少有十五個省份出現類似組織。

長沙成立聯省自治會的同一年，在地軍事強人譚延闓和趙恆惕共同驅逐外來皖系軍閥指定的督軍張敬堯，提出湖南人治理湖南和聯省自治的政治主張。後續在梁啟超幫助下，湖南擬出具備三權分立和地方自治精神的《湖南省憲法》。然而民國11年 (公元1922年)，這部憲法施行上路之後，淪為成為省長的趙恆惕操作政局的工具，直到四年後遭到推翻為止。不過《湖南省憲法》界定國家和省份之間的權力嘗試，大力鼓舞其他省份效仿，對於中國的近代政治制度產生深遠影響。