Item number: A1511

Year: AD 1828

Material: Copper

Size: 26.0 x 25.6 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 4.6 g

Manufactured by: Aksu Bureau

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020

This is a Daoguang Tongbao coin minted in AD 1828 (the 8th year of the Daoguang reign) by the Aksu Bureau in southern Xinjiang. Made of red copper, the coin was produced to meet the substantial military expenditures required to suppress the Jahangir Rebellion, an incursion into Xinjiang from Kokand.

The coin follows the typical Chinese square-holed design. Due to its age, the surface and details have suffered significant wear, making it difficult to identify at first glance. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters Daoguang Tongbao (道光通寶) are engraved in the order of top, bottom, right, and left.

On the reverse side of the coin, the left and right sides are inscribed with the mint location, Aksu, in Manchu script (᠇ᠴᠰᡠ) and Uyghur script (ئاقسۇ), respectively. The upper edge features the year “八年” (the 8th year of Daoguang, AD 1828), while the lower edge bears the denomination “十” (ten cash).

Jahangir was a figure suppressed during the Qianlong reign, a descendant of the older brother of the Khoja brothers, Boroni Du. After the Qing Dynasty’s suppression of his family, they sought refuge in the neighbouring state of Kokand. Jahangir spent his early years studying in Kabul, with the aim of restoring his ancestors’ control over Southern Xinjiang.

From AD 1820 onwards, Jahangir repeatedly crossed the border to harass Kashgar. In AD 1825, a Qing army sent to capture him failed in their mission but instead massacred innocent Brute people (Kyrgyz), which significantly intensified resentment in Southern Xinjiang against the Qing Dynasty. In AD 1826, Jahangir used the excuse of returning to Xinjiang to pay respects to his ancestors’ graves and led his followers, along with reinforcements from Kokand, into Southern Xinjiang, gaining the support of the local population. For a time, he captured several major cities in Southern Xinjiang, shaking the Qing Dynasty’s control over the region.

His uprising was eventually crushed, and in AD 1828, Jahangir was captured by Qing forces, taken to Beijing, and executed. His body was infamously fed to dogs.

Aksu, an important oasis city on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin, means “white water” in Uyghur. In AD 1760 (the 25th year of the Qianlong reign), the Qianlong Emperor first established a mint in Yarkand, Southern Xinjiang, to reclaim pul coins left by the Dzungar Khanate. In the following year, AD 1761 (the 26th year of the Qianlong reign), another mint was established in Aksu, which had abundant copper resources. Craftsmen were transferred from Yarkand and Shaanxi to assist with the operation of the Aksu Mint.

In AD 1765 (the 30th year of the Qianlong reign), the Aksu Mint temporarily ceased operations, transferring its responsibilities to the Uqturpan (Ush) Mint. However, in AD 1799 (the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign), coin-minting operations were relocated back to Aksu. During the Qing Dynasty’s rule over Southern Xinjiang, the Aksu Mint became the longest-running and most productive mint in the region. It remained in operation until its permanent closure in AD 1892 (the 18th year of the Guangxu reign).

Since the Qianlong reign, following the conquest of the Dzungars in Northern Xinjiang and the Khoja uprisings in Southern Xinjiang, the region was incorporated into the Qing Empire. Local mints were established to produce coinage for the area. Notably, the Qing Empire generally used the Tianshan Mountains as a dividing line. In Northern Xinjiang, where Mongols, Manchus, and Han Chinese immigrants were more populous, minting practises followed those of Central China, with brass serving as the primary material for coinage. In contrast, in Southern Xinjiang, where Uyghurs were the majority, local customs were respected, and red copper was used as the main material, giving rise to what was colloquially known as “red cash.” The Qing administration further stipulated that the issuance and circulation of these two types of coinage would be divided geographically, with Turpan (Tokson) serving as the boundary.

物件編號: A1511

年代: 公元 1828 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 26.0 x 25.6 x 1.1 mm

重量: 4.6 g

製造地: 阿克蘇局

來源: 福君錢幣 2020

這是一枚道光8年 (公元1828年)，清朝為平定從浩罕入侵新疆的張格爾之亂，由新疆南部的阿克蘇局，以紅銅為材料鑄造的「道光通寶」，用來應付平叛需要的龐大軍事開銷。

錢幣形制為中國典型的方孔錢，由於時代久遠，表面和細節多已嚴重磨損，無法第一眼清楚識別。錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，鐫刻「道光通寶」四個漢字。

錢幣背面的左右兩側，分別以滿文「᠇ᠴᠰᡠ」和維吾爾文「ئاقسۇ‎」標示鑄造的地點阿克蘇。上緣則以漢字標示年份「八年」(公元1828年)，下緣則是面額「十」。

張格爾是乾隆年間被鎮壓的大小和卓兄弟，兄長波羅尼都的後裔，家族在歷經清廷鎮壓後避居鄰國浩罕。張格爾早年在喀布爾求學，一直希望能恢復祖先對於南疆的控制。公元1820年起，張格爾帶領部眾多次越境騷擾喀什。公元1825年，清廷派往追捕張格爾的軍隊未能達成目標，卻殘殺無辜的布魯特人(吉爾吉斯人)，使得南疆對於清廷的不滿日益加劇。公元1826年，張格爾以返回新疆禮拜祖先的墳墓為藉口，再度帶領信眾和浩罕援兵進入南疆，並且獲得當地居民的支持。張格爾一時攻陷南疆多個大城動搖清廷的統治，直到公元1828年遭到清軍生擒，送往北京處死和屍體被拿去餵狗的結局。

阿克蘇為塔里木盆地北緣的重要綠洲城市，在維吾爾語有「白水」的意思。乾隆25年 (公元1760年)，乾隆先在南疆的葉爾羌設立鑄錢局，回收準噶爾汗國留下的普爾錢。於乾隆26年 (公元1761年)，相繼在銅礦資源較為豐富的阿克蘇設立鑄錢局，並且從葉爾羌和陝西調派工匠協助營運。

乾隆30年 (公元1765年)，阿克蘇局短暫停運其業務轉交至烏什。但是於嘉慶4年 (公元1799年)，相關的鑄幣業務又從烏什遷回阿克蘇。阿克蘇是南疆在清朝統治時期，營運最久且產量最為龐大的鑄錢局，直到光緒18年 (公元1892年)方才永久歇業。

自從乾隆年間征討北疆的準噶爾和南疆的大小和卓之後，新疆就此納入清帝國版圖並且在當地設立鑄錢局鑄造錢幣。值得注意的是，清帝國大抵以天山山脈作為分界，於蒙古人、滿州和漢人移民較多的北疆多半效仿中原，以黃銅作為主要的鑄幣原料。而在維吾爾人較為集中的南疆，則尊重當地人的習慣以紅銅作為鑄幣原料，俗稱紅錢。統治新疆的清廷還特別規定，兩種錢幣的發行和流通地點以托克遜為分界。