Item number: A2691

Year: AD 1918-1926

Material: Copper

Size: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 6.2 g

Manufactured by: Shanxi Copper Coin Bureau (Shanxi Mint), Taiyuan

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a copper coin known as a “Zhonghua Tongbi” (Chinese Copper Coin), minted by the Shanxi Copper Coin Bureau between AD 1918 and 1926.

The obverse features the denomination “一枚” (“One Mei”) at the centre, using the unit “mei” to reflect the widely accepted notion that one mei was equivalent to ten wen. The character “枚” has a notably short horizontal stroke at the top of its right-side component “攵.” The central text is flanked by two stalks of wheat with thick stems, hence referred to as “large wheat ears.” These are tied together with a decorative tassel forming a relatively long knot, described as a “long ribboned tassel.”

The reverse displays a pair of crossed flags. On the right is the Five-Coloured Flag of the Beiyang Government period, symbolising the unity of five ethnic groups within the republic. On the left is the Eighteen-Star Flag, which, since the Wuchang Uprising, had come to symbolise the federalist autonomy of the eighteen Han provinces. The flags are tied together with a knotted cord, and the ribbons hang downward and curve outward to both sides, a style referred to as “curved-hanging tassel.” The inscriptions are enclosed within a circular border. The upper arc reads “中華銅幣” (“Zhonghua Tongbi” or Chinese Copper Coin), and the lower arc reads “當制錢十文” (“Equivalent to Standard Cash Ten Wen”), both rendered in standard script. The upper and lower inscriptions are separated by orchid motifs on each side.

In AD 1918 (9th year of the Republic), Yan Xishan, then Military Governor of Shanxi, established the Shanxi Copper Coin Bureau near Qianfoshi (Thousand Buddha Temple) in the outskirts of Taiyuan. He authorised the minting of Zhonghua Copper Coins bearing the denominations “One Mei” and “Twenty Wen.” Minting ceased in AD 1926 (15th year of the Republic) following the central government’s tightening of coinage policy.

After the Xinhai Revolution, Yan Xishan assumed de facto control over Shanxi. From AD 1918 onward, he held the position of Military Governor, instituting a system of unified military and civil governance. He placed emphasis on military training and regional development, promoted new administrative reforms and education, and strove to maintain Shanxi’s neutrality amid the internecine warfare of the Beiyang warlord era. During this period, he manoeuvred among the Zhili and Fengtian cliques, at times forming alliances and at others opposing them, thereby consolidating his own power. Although Shanxi did not experience direct upheaval during national events such as the May Fourth Movement, it was nonetheless influenced by the spread of new cultural and reformist ideas. After the Second Zhili-Fengtian War in AD 1924, Fengtian forces occupied Beijing, and Yan experienced a temporary decline in influence. However, as the dynamics of the Northern Expedition shifted, he reasserted control over Shanxi. By AD 1926, with the National Revolutionary Army launching its campaign, Yan declared his support and emerged as a significant military and political figure in North China, ushering Shanxi into a new phase of governance.

物件編號: A2691

年代: 公元 1918-1926 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.1 mm

重量: 6.2 g

製造地: 山西銅元局，太原

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚由山西銅元局，於公元1918至1926年所鑄之中華銅幣。

銅元正面中央幣文為「壹枚」，以枚紀值體現以十文為一單位的概念深入人心，「枚」字「攵」旁首橫劃較短。兩側以麥穗環繞，秸稈粗壯，故稱「大麥穗」，兩束麥穗以纓相繫，纓結較長，稱「長纓帶」。

銅幣背面中央為雙旗圖，右為北洋政府時期之國旗五色旗，象徵五族共和；左為十八星旗，自武昌起義起象徵漢地十八省與聯省自治。雙旗以纓相繫，飄帶下垂向兩側微揚，故稱「曲吊纓」。以環相隔，上方環列幣名「中華銅幣」；下方環列幣值「當制錢十文」，皆為楷書，上下環列之幣文以蘭花相隔。

民國九年(公元1918年)，山西都督閻錫山於太原郊區千佛寺設銅元局，開鑄中華銅幣「壹枚」及「貳拾文」，至民國十五年，中央鑄幣政策收緊後停鑄。

閻錫山自辛亥革命後掌握山西實權，公元1918年起任督軍，實行軍政合一的統治模式，強調軍事訓練與地方建設，致力推行新政與教育改革，並努力維持山西在北洋軍閥混戰中的中立地位。期間閻與直系、奉系等勢力周旋，時而聯合、時而對抗，藉機壯大自身實力。面對五四運動與全國變局，山西政局雖未直接動盪，但亦受新文化與改革思想影響。公元1924年第二次直奉戰爭後，奉系勢力進入北京，閻一度失勢，後因北伐局勢轉變，重新鞏固山西地位。至公元1926年，國民革命軍北伐展開，閻錫山表態響應，成為華北重要軍政人物，山西政局隨之進入新階段。