Central Casting

As the sun hangs low in a cantaloupe-orange sky, wisps of sand blow across the highway. Accompanied by a faint ting-ting-ting as specks of mineral smack car metal, we sweep toward the Xi’an city limits. Towns and hamlets beaten into dullness by the desert wind pass by outside. I stare out at car body shops and warehouses with tin roofs but see no pedestrians. Once upon a time, caravans of camels might have passed this way on their Silk Road journey. Now, my friends and I chat in an air-conditioned ship of the desert on wheels.

Mr. C. announces, “Almost anywhere in Xi’an that you dig, you will find something buried in the ground, including coins.”

Mr. A. retorts, “So, now we know why you brought a shovel, to dig up national treasures at night.” Laughter fills the car.

Mr. C. told the truth, though; Xi’an’s soil has yielded stunning archaeological treasures. People have lived here since the Stone Age. Originally called Chang’an, this city was the capital of 10 different empires. Few places are more promising, however digging for artifacts is illegal.

Our car crosses a bridge that spans a wide, sluggish river. Welcome to Xi’an! After the flat landscape, it is something of a shock to see apartment buildings tower over both sides of the highway. The change is so sudden that they seem to have suddenly sprouted from the ground. Each is large enough to be home to hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

These new apartments contrast with the remaining buildings from China’s first dynasty, the Qin (221-206 B.C.), whose capital Xi’anyang was a short distance away from here. Or those of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-23 A.D.) that replaced it and made Chang’an (now Xi’an) its capital city. In fact, no buildings from those eras exist today in Xi’an. That’s because the city was destroyed in AD 23 — by a peasant rebellion that ended the Han Dynasty the way it started. Even so, other things remain, including coins!

The Qin period began when a 22-year-old prince inherited the throne to the minor State of Qin. Through innovative strategies and the latest weaponry, this king proceeded to conquer all the other Chinese kingdoms, one by one. By 221 B.C. China was united into a single country for the first time. The king then proclaimed himself Emperor Qin Shihuangdi, the first Qin Emperor.

Qin Shihuangdi subdued his foes through harsh and ruthless tactics. He ruled his empire the same way. For example, it is reported that he buried hundreds of scholars alive because he disapproved of their teachings. It was once said of his family, “If there be an opportunity for material gain, it will disregard its relatives as if they were animals."

Despite his callousness to the lives of others, the emperor was intensely preoccupied with his own mortality. One major project was to build an immense mausoleum to prepare for his continued rule in the afterlife. Thousands of workers and artisans built this outside Xi’anyang and then were put to death, many buried alive, to keep its details secret. Their skeletons, some still in agonized positions, have been uncovered. The mausoleum was put into use sooner than the First Emperor of the Qin expected. While on a quest for an elixir of eternal life, he fell ill and died at age 50.

More than 2,000 years later, one of his secrets was finally revealed. In 1974, a group of farmers in the Xi’anyang region near Xi’an was digging a water well. Instead of water, their drilling hit pottery shards and an ancient bronze sword. They reported this, and further excavation unearthed one of the most spectacular archaeological finds of all time.

In 1984, China released a quartet of 22-gram silver coins, each denominated five yuan, that shows examples of the treasure the farmers uncovered. The coins feature images of warriors fashioned from terracotta clay: one turns left, one turns right, one kneels, and the fourth leads a horse. These four represent a fraction of the army of 8,000 life-size terracotta warrior figures found so far. Around 1,000 of them are lined up in rows inside a football-field-size open-air museum that draws two million visitors a year. Beneath its roof, there are also side rooms. In these, tourists crowd around glass cases and take photos of the actual clay warriors that appear on the coins. If anyone is curious, a single terracotta warrior’s value was once estimated at $4.5 million.

Much more affordable – and available – is the set of four 1984 36-millimeter-diameter 99.9% silver Outstanding Historical Figures of China coins, with an authorized mintage of 30,000 (actual mintage of 14,000). A five-coin version of the set includes a 100 yuan one-third-ounce gold coin that is 23 millimeters in diameter and contains 91.6% pure gold. This coin features a depiction of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi on the reverse. While 25,000 were authorized, barely more than 10,000 were struck. Or a collector might select a 1993 Ancient Chinese Inventions and Discoveries coin with a terracotta army design. These were minted in gold, platinum, and silver. There were just 400 of the half-ounce gold and 100 quarter-ounce platinum coins made. A little easier to find is the 22-gram silver version, with 8,150 reported produced.

For all its flaws, especially in human rights, the Qin Dynasty made several important advancements. Among them was China’s first national written language system. It also established China’s first national currency: round copper pieces with a square hole in the center and with writing that established their authority and value. Today, we call these cash coins. The primary type of cash coin from the Qin Dynasty was a Ban Liang. It weighs eight grams and has a diameter of 32 to 34 millimeters. This standardized money helped increase trade between cities and expanded the economy.

Cash coins were cast from molten metal in molds, not struck on blanks like Western coins. After cooling, the mold was broken away, leaving the coins attached to a “tree.” The money was then snapped off, and any roughness filed down. How efficient was this? It is estimated that 220 million coins per year were produced during this era. The minting process, from smelting to pouring to separating the individual coins from the mold, is illustrated on a 1992 60-millimeter-wide bronze medal made for the China Numismatic Museum. A total of 10,000 of these medals were struck at the Shanghai Mint.

The Ban Liang was the legal tender used to pay taxes and fines, which were large and frequent, to the Qin government. Among common folk, this caused much resentment. In 206 B.C., a peasant revolt erupted. Two rebel factions besieged the government, one led by a man named Liu Bang. His forces toppled the Qin Dynasty, after which there were three more years of fighting between the usurpers. The victorious Liu Bang called himself “King of the Han” and began what is now called the Western Han Dynasty. In contrast to the Qin rulers, Liu Bang lowered taxes, reduced punishments, and was generally more tolerant. He made Chang’an his capital city; we now call this area Xi’an.

There is a modern numismatic connection to Liu Bang. The 1986 edition of the popular Chinese Outstanding Historical Figures series includes a gold coin that portrays him on horseback as he points the way forward. This 100 yuan coin contains one-third ounce of 91.6%-fine gold and is 23 millimeters in diameter. The original plan to strike 25,000 coins at the Shenyang Mint was reduced to 4,980.

Night falls, and we continue to our hotel. The car passes through the central part of the city where the imposing, exquisite, brilliantly lit Bell Tower of Xian, built in 1394, stands.

Within it are several bronze bells that were cast during the older Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D). This was a period that many consider the high point of ancient Chinese culture. The tower was placed at what was then the exact center of the city, at what had been the exact center of Chinese life; in other words, the perfect location.

The Tang government ruled with a relatively light hand. The Tang Code made the law less arbitrary and more rational. Some forms of capital punishment, as well as other cruel penalties, were abolished.

The arts and sciences flourished. Examples in science are the invention of gunpowder, the astronomical clock, the first natural gas cylinders, and the first air conditioner (non-electric). Woodblock printing advanced to the point that common people could afford books, and literacy became widespread. In 1974, a document printed sometime between 650 to 670 A.D. was excavated in Xi'an. It is one of the oldest-known printed items.

Closely connected to printing was poetry. Poetry was revered as the highest art form, and some of China's greatest poets, like Li Bai and Du Fu, lived during the Tang Dynasty. Music and painting also advanced and cross-pollinated with influences from abroad.

There are several modern Chinese coins that celebrate this period. For example, the 1995 Traditional Culture set has three coins with a design of Tang Taizong, the best-known Tang emperor, on them. His image appears on the 100 yuan one-ounce gold, the 10 yuan tenth-ounce gold, and five yuan 22-gram silver coins. Mintages are 138 pieces for the one-ounce gold, 4,500 for the tenth-ounce gold, and 13,800 for the 22-gram silver piece.

The largest of the 1998 Ancient Chinese Paintings coin series is a five-ounce rectangular silver 50 yuan piece. It features colorized poses of six “Elegant Ladies of the Tang Dynasty.” The mintage is 18,800.

As Tang Dynasty society prospered, it grew: a census from 742 AD lists 1,960,188 people living in the Chang’an area. That made it one of the first cities in the world with a million people in it. Not all these people were Chinese. Under the Tang Dynasty, the country opened up to foreign trade, much of which was carried by camel caravans to and from India, Central Asia, Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa.

Sights and scenes from this trade are the theme of a three-year series of Silk Road coins issued between 1995 to 1997. Each year offers a 50 yuan one-third-ounce gold coin and four of the five yuan 22-gram silver coins. The 1997 50 yuan gold coin is the key to the series. A mintage of 10,000 was authorized, but a mere 297 are reported to have been struck. The plan that year for silver was to mint 15,000 sets, but prices suggest that fewer of those were produced, as well.

Chang’an had two major market areas: East and West. Foreigners’ movements were limited to the Western market district. They brought with them not only physical goods but also their culture and coins. Foreign singers and dancers filled the night spots of Chang’an. They sang popular tunes from their homelands, while dancers were hits with audiences. The 1997 five yuan silver coin known as “Banquet Dance” hints at this sort of revelry. For numismatists, there is also a room worth visiting in the Shanghai Museum that is devoted to ancient coins from the Silk Road. The range and value of all the coinage that circulated in Tang Dynasty Chang’an must have challenged the wits of every tavern keeper.

Even today, a bit of this Silk Road atmosphere lingers in Xi’an. As I stroll through a brightly lit night market one evening, the street is crowded with people from across Central and East Asia. Many wear the distinctive clothes of their native lands. The smells of unfamiliar foods fill the air. Noodles are the staple of the Northern Chinese diet. As skillfully as any juggler, a street vendor tosses and twirls dough through the air to create long strands of pasta. Enthralled by the performance, I muse, “How many Ban Liang for that bowl of noodles?”