Item number: A3103

Year: AD 1788

Material: Brass

Size: 24.3 x 24.2 x 0.4 mm

Weight: 1.45 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a brass coin known as “Quang Trung Thông Bảo”, minted and circulated in AD 1788, the first year of the Quang Trung era, under the reign of Emperor Quang Trung, Nguyễn Văn Huệ (also known as Nguyễn Huệ), who later adopted the name Nguyễn Quang Bình. During the fourth and fifth years of this era, another coin type titled “Quang Trung Đại Bảo” was also issued.

The coin follows the traditional round form with a square central hole, characteristic of the Chinese cultural sphere. The obverse bears the inscription “Quang Trung Thông Bảo” in regular script, read from top to bottom and right to left. The calligraphy is delicate and somewhat blurred. The “マ” radical on the left side of the character “Thông” (通) is relatively large; the “辶” radical on the right includes a single dot on the left and a pressing-turning stroke at the base. The outer rim of the flan is relatively narrow, and the reverse is plain and uninscribed. Below the square hole appears the character “一” (One). Similar markings above the hole—such as the characters “一” or “二”—are often interpreted as indicators of the regnal year. Accordingly, the “一” below the square hole on this specimen may likewise be understood as denoting the first year of the Quang Trung era, that is, AD 1788.

By the mid-18th century, although the Lê emperors of the Later Lê Restoration nominally ruled the country, actual power in the north was held by the Trịnh lords, while the Nguyễn lords governed the south from their stronghold in Huế (then Phú Xuân), effectively maintaining a divided Vietnam for over two centuries. Prolonged military stalemate across this north-south divide led successive Nguyễn lords to pursue expansion westward and southward: interfering in Cambodia and engaging in campaigns against Champa and Siam (present-day Thailand). In all theatres—north, west, and south—the mountainous Tây Sơn region was heavily relied upon for military mobilisation and logistical support, laying the structural groundwork for rebellion.

The Tây Sơn dynasty was initiated in AD 1771 when three brothers—Nguyễn Văn Nhạc, Nguyễn Văn Lữ, and Nguyễn Văn Huệ—rose up in the Tây Sơn region to oppose the corruption and incompetence of the Nguyễn lords. Backed by seasoned highland warriors, they quickly seized Quy Nhơn and Quảng Ngãi, thereby disrupting the long-standing north-south divide. In AD 1775, the Nguyễn capital of Phú Xuân (present-day Huế) fell. In AD 1777, Nguyễn Văn Huệ captured Gia Định, and the last Nguyễn lord was killed. By AD 1778, Nguyễn Văn Nhạc proclaimed himself the Central Emperor, enfeoffing Nguyễn Văn Lữ and Nguyễn Văn Huệ as the Kings of Đông Định and Bắc Bình, respectively—nominal appointments that in effect signified a division of territories.

Nguyễn Văn Huệ, the most militarily gifted of the Tây Sơn brothers, led a northern campaign in AD 1786 that overthrew the Trịnh regime, and in AD 1789 decisively defeated Qing forces sent in support of the Lê dynasty. His victory brought him great renown, and he was subsequently crowned emperor at the Ngu Binh Mountain in Phú Xuân, adopting the reign title Quang Trung. He was also recognised by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty as the “King of Annam”. He then embarked on a programme of administrative reform, although internal strife and factionalism persisted within his court. Upon his death in AD 1792, the throne passed to his young son Nguyễn Quang Toản, whose reign was plagued by disorder. Taking advantage of this instability, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh—backed by French missionaries—launched a counter-offencive and, by AD 1802, had unified the country and established the Nguyễn dynasty, thereby bringing the Tây Sơn regime to an end.

Nguyễn Văn Huệ came to be regarded as a national hero for his defeat of the Qing army and as a symbol of resistance against foreign aggression. His promotion of the chữ Nôm script earned him recognition as a key figure in the assertion of Vietnamese cultural independence. His policies of organising ethnic minorities to oppose the Nguyễn lords also provided a model for peripheral resistance against central authority. In modern times, particularly within the revolutionary discourse of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyễn Văn Huệ has been mythologised as a symbol of anti-imperialism and nationalism.

物件編號: A3103

年代: 公元 1788年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.3 x 24.3 x 0.4 mm

重量: 1.45 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚由光中帝阮文惠(Nguyễn Văn Huệ)，或稱阮惠(Nguyễn Huệ)，後改名阮光平(Nguyễn Quang Bình)，其於光中元年(公元1788年)，所鑄行之「光中通寶」，黃銅質。光中四、五年間，另發行「光中大宝」。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「光中通寶」楷書，由上而下、由右至左對讀，文字細弱漫漶。「通」字「マ」旁較大；「通」字「辶」旁左側單點，底捺折筆。錢幕外輪較窄，光素無文，錢穿下方有錢文「一」。錢穿上方有錢文「一」、「二」者多被認為紀年，錢穿下方之「一」或可適用此說，即代表光中元年(公元1788年)。

十八世紀中葉，以黎中興朝之黎氏為名義上的皇帝，實則以掌握北方中樞的權臣鄭主；和鎮守順化，實則割據南方廣南國的阮主，所形成的南北分裂之勢，已逾二百年。由於南北戰線的長年僵持，歷代阮主皆向西、南尋求擴張。向西干涉高棉(今柬埔寨)，向南征伐占人與暹羅(今泰國)。而不論北部、西部、南部戰線，皆就近向西山地區索取軍事動員與後勤物資的支援，成為民變爆發的遠因。

西山朝由阮文岳、阮文侶與阮文惠三兄弟於公元1771年在西山地區起兵，反對廣南阮氏的貪腐與無能。在經年歷戰的山民支持下，迅速佔領歸仁、廣義等地，動搖越南南北分裂的格局。公元1775年，廣南國都城富春(今順化)陷落。公元1777年阮文惠陷嘉定，末代阮主亡。公元1778年阮岳稱中央皇帝，分封阮文侶與阮文惠為東定王與北平王，名為分封，實則裂土。阮文惠為西山朝最具軍事才能者，於公元1786年北伐推翻鄭氏政權，並於公元1789年擊敗清軍援黎，聲威大震，於富春御屏山稱帝，改元光中，並得清乾隆帝封「安南國王」，至此致力整頓政局，但朝內仍相互攻訐難解。公元1792年阮文惠去世，幼子阮光纘繼位，朝政混亂，阮福映趁勢北伐，在法國傳教士支持下，終於公元1802年統一全國，建立阮朝，西山朝滅亡。阮文惠因擊敗清軍，而成為越南抗擊侵略者的典範；因推行喃字，被視為越南民族獨立的推手；其組織少數民族以對抗廣南國的政策，為邊區對抗中央政府提供了榜樣。於是，近代在越南共產黨的革命運動中，阮文惠被神化成為反帝國主義與民族主義的象徵。