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'''Ying Yuan''' ({{zh|c=]]|hp=yǐng yuán}}) is a kind of ]<ref> |
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'''Ying Yuan''' ({{zh|c=]]|hp=yǐng yuán}}) is a kind of ]<ref name=Hartill>{{cite book |last=Hartill |first=David |date=September 22, 2005|title=Cast Chinese Coins |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=r4qWx1MFrMQC&pg=PA79 |publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=978-1412054669 |p=79}}</ref> issued by the ancient Chinese ] during the ]. The oldest ones known are from about the 5th or 6th century BCE. They consist of sheets of gold 3-5mm thick, of various sizes, with inscriptions consisting of square or round stamps in which there are one or two characters. They have been unearthed in various locations south of the Yellow River indicating that they were products of the State of Chu. One of the characters in their inscription is often a monetary unit or weight which is normally read as ''yuan'' ({{zh | c=爰| hp=yuán| links=no}}). Pieces are of a very variable size and thickness, and the stamps appear to be a device to validate the whole block, rather than a guide to enable it to be broken up into unit pieces. Some specimens have been reported in copper, lead, or clay. It is probable that these were ], not circulating coinage, as they are found in tombs, but the gold coins are not.<ref name=Hartill/> |
